A Path Less Taken
by VampireQueenAkasha
Summary: AU: When you get a second chance to love again, do you take that chance despite everything? SEVERUS X HERMIONE
1. 1

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the part of the first chapter was borrowed from the first film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out.

"The key to change... is to let go of fear."

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part One**

_1992_

Hermione was certain that something had died in the shop.

She couldn't resist her curiosity to enter the strange building that advertized magical items. Of course, everything in Diagon Alley was magical from what the girl had just learned. Being new to the world of magic, Hermione wanted to explore every aspect of it and not miss a single thing. But even now that she entered the store alone, she could swear on her life that something was decaying in the shop. It was a bitter, sickly sweet smell that reminded her of rotten garbage.

She peered into the glass cabinets that were filled with skulls, black stones and much to her amusement - broken wands.

Just then, a heavyset man poked his head up from behind the counter. Hermione backed away slightly as he grinned at her, flashing a mouth full of rotten teeth. He obviously didn't take good care of himself given his poorly managed hair and messy colorful suit. One of his eyes also appeared to be moving in an entirely different direction as well. If it was the cause of magic or not, Hermione still felt a bit unsettled by the sight.

"Hello there!" he hissed, in a thick, Scottish accent, "See anything ya' like?"

Hermione smiled painfully and managed a perfect calm. "No sir," she replied, "I'm just looking."

"Well look no further, missy!" the man said, smiling and straightening his thick, black belt, "Here at my shop-all the folks 'round these parts call me Naberius - I got whatever you want and whatever your little heart needs!"

Hermione was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the general temperature here in the shop and she slowly started to back away toward the open door. "No thank you, sir," she told him, "I should get going."

Naberius smirked slyly and licked his disgusting, chapped lips. "You sure?" he asked, "Not even a for a..." He bent down and reached beneath the counter top and produced a large, baseball - sized stone in his hand. "...wishing stone?"

Hermione's nose curled slightly before she tilted her head. "That's ridiculous," she responded, "There's no such thing as a wishing stone."

"No such thing?" Naberius repeated, feigning false shock, "Now how would a young lass like yourself know of that anyway?"

Hermione frowned defensively. "I have read about such things and know for sure that they either don't exist or if they did, they were destroyed," she told him, "That has to be a fake."

Naberius laughed heartily. "Bright little thing, aren't you?" he sneered, "I bet you make your parents proud." Hermione made a displeased face and Naberius gestured for her to approach him. "Come on then. Take a feel of it. You can sense the magic within!"

Reluctantly, but unable to hide her curiosity, Hermione took a careful step closer toward the counter. She reached up with one hand, still watching the toothless man with suspicion as she touched the stone gently. Sure enough, he smirked as her features changed with confusion and finally, surprise. She pulled her hand away and frowned down at the black stone that slowly swirled with red and green colors from within.

"That's impossible!" the girl exclaimed.

Naberius smiled. "Not impossible, miss," he explained, "This stone comes from a very powerful source and it just so happens that I need to sell it."

Hermione squinted at him. The concept made her reconsider all together. "Why?"

"I can tell you're a lass who asked quite a lot of questions," Naberius chortled. He made his voice high, in an almost mocking falsetto. "'Mother, why is it raining? Mother, why does the rooster crow'?" He cleared his throat and looked serious now. "I can also see that you need something these pure blood arses flaunt around."

Hermione bristled where she stood. She remembered hearing terrible names about her "blood status" by other students at Hogwarts as well as adults. She didn't like the idea that this shop keeper knew about that, but she relaxed because it was a possibility that rumors or gossip spread further than anyone wanted or planned.

"I'll sell ya' the stone, Missy," he told her, "First come, first serve. This stone'll give ya' one wish. One wish of your choosing."

Hermione stared down at the stone before she furrowed her brow. "How much?" she asked.

"Whatever you got on you." Naberius told her, smiling.

Hermione reached into her robes and felt around for any money that she might have had on her. She pulled out a handful of Galleon's, a few Sickles and two Knuts that she had received from her parents before they transferred her Muggle money. There wasn't much there, but she offered the man her pieces either way. Naberius counted them in his hand for a few moments before smiling with satisfaction and handing her the stone.

"I reckon that this'll do me nicely!" he said, "The stone's all yours then!"

Hermione took the stone into her hands and studied it for a few times, intrigued with the idea of having anything that she had ever wanted in the palm of her hand. Naberius watched her fascinated smile with a smirk of his own. Then, it slowly disappeared. He suddenly felt the urge to warn her. She was a child, after all and Naberius wasn't that much of an arse to leave out the important details to someone so young, just because they were naive and easy to trick. He chuckled softly before he held up a warning finger to the girl and she immediately became alert.

"But there's only one catch; don't tell anybody about it and you only get ONE WISH," he told the girl, "Once you wish for it though, it's done. There ain't no turning back. So choose carefully, you got me girl?"

Hagrid was waiting for her in the streets and smiled when he saw her. "Got everything in order then?" he asked.

Hermione nodded, though glanced briefly back at the shop with a mild glimmer of uncertainty. She clutched the stone tight in her hands.

O

Hermione grunted as she struggled to squeeze passed several students through the halls of Hogwarts. "Excuse me!" she announced, "Pardon me, please." She grunted sharply and glared over at a student who had pushed at her a bit too hard. "No pushing."

Just then, a boy pushed into her again with great force and Hermione nearly fell over in the process. She gave a small squeal when something rubbery and wet bounced off of her leg and disappeared onto the floor. She glared down at the boy who stared up at her meekly. He was wearing messy black robes and had short black hair with a goofy-looking overbite. He appeared to regard her with an uncomfortable shyness and she almost felt bad for him. But that was Neville Longbottom for you; never one for grace or image.

"Sorry!" he said, "I didn't mean to bump into you. I just lost my toad and can't find him."

Hermione smiled slightly, feeling a little bad for the timid-looking boy. "Oh, well let's go and look for it then."

"Trevor's his name," the boy told her, shifting slightly on his feet.

Hermione rolled her eyes impatiently at the correction. "Sorry. Trevor."

The boy chuckled nervously as they peered into cabin after cabin to find his toad. "I'm sorry."

"You really need to keep better track of your pets, Neville." she responded, glaring at a sneering, blonde-haired boy in another hall. She sighed and turned to Neville with dismay. "Perhaps we should split up and backtrack where you last saw him. We'll have better luck then."

Neville nodded his head mutely before turning back the way that he had come, calling out "Trevor" over and over again. Hermione smiled and shook her head with pity before she resumed her search of the boy's missing pet. As she made her way down the halls, she ended up dodging two teachers in the middle of a conversation. The Potions Teacher, Professor Snape was discussing something with the Dark Arts teacher Professor Quirrell.

Hermione had to quickly look away when Snape looked in her direction with a cold frown on his face, almost if he was aware that he was being watched. She didn't want to get into any trouble so soon at the castle and quickly attempted to avoid him, but he caught sight of her.

"Granger, where are you off to?" he demanded.

Hermione paused and looked up at the teacher. "I was helping Neville Longbottom with the search for his pet, Professor Snape," she told him.

Snape curled his nose, which made it look bigger than usual. "Mister Longbottom is responsible for his own pets," he said, particularly unkindly, "Now off with you. Get to your class before I deduct points."

Hermione frowned. "For what, sir?"

Snape scowled now. "For simply questioning my authority, now go!"

She immediately rushed through the crowds of students and reluctantly hurried to the Potion's classroom. Ron and Harry were already there and the class was waiting for Snape to arrive. Some of them were throwing paper airplanes around and others were talking. Harry and Ron looked a little nervous because they had almost been late. Hermione was amused by their uncertainty because she had nearly been late helping Neville find his pet.

"Professor Snape certainly gave the evil eye to you boys yesterday," she told them.

Ron flinched and stared at her with surprise. "How do you know?" he asked.

"I saw him at the table," Hermione told him, "He looked at us like he knew we were talking about him."

Ron looked nervous now. "I wonder if he can read our minds!"

Harry put a finger to his lips when they sat down. Hermione took a spot beside the two boys and laughed at Ron's response. "Ron, you can't be afraid of everything you know," she told him, "He's just a teacher."

Ron glared at her defensively. "I am not!"

"Are too!"

Harry frowned back at them with irritation. "Don't fight right now!" he chided, "What if he comes in and-"

The door at their side slammed shut and the students immediately quieted down as Professor Snape immediately walked into the room. His cloak billowed behind him, making him appear to be like that of a living shadow. When he stepped to the front of the class, he surveyed the new students like a hawk studying prey. Harry kept his gaze to his notebook and Ron quickly attempted to look elsewhere while Snape began speaking.

"Class has begun, open your books to page thirteen," he ordered.

Immediately, everyone began doing as he said and discarded their paper toys. Snape watched them for a moment before his eyes fell on Harry as the boy was quickly attempting to gather his fallen quill. It had fallen off of his table and rolled at Snape's feet. The teacher ignored it and moved onto him like a serpent.

"Mister Potter," he sneered, "Our newest celebrity."

Harry wasn't thrilled with being put on the spot like this.

"Perhaps you should take it into consideration that your school work far exceeds your desire for fame," Snape continued with a nasty smirk to follow, "Maybe then you will remember to keep a much better hold on your supplies." He bent down and retrieved the fallen quill before holding it out to Harry. When the boy reached for it, he pulled back abruptly. "Five points from Gryffindor, for your classmate's disregard for classroom rules."

Harry scowled with frustration at the groans of protest around the room from his fellow Gryffindors. He took the quill back from Snape and buried his face in his notebook, clearly embarrassed. Hermione gave him a sympathetic look.

O

Hermione was exhausted that night and just wanted to climb into her bed and sink into the pillows. After everyone in her room had fallen asleep, Hermione couldn't resist the urge to take out the black stone and study it. The magic housed within felt strong and she could see gold and red swirling around. It was almost pretty to watch and felt somewhat soothing to the young girl. She didn't know what she could wish for. One wish and she could have anything.

"What do I choose?" she wondered to herself.

Entirely too tired to think about it right now, the young girl quickly tucked the stone away safely and snuggled into bed to sleep.

O

The following morning, Hermione had breakfast with Ron and Harry before they went to their Charms class with Professor Flitwick; he was a half-human goblin who seemed to take class less seriously than Professor Snape. Hermione wasn't complaining about it too much either. He was a much more kind teacher and didn't yell at everyone whenever he had the chance. They were going to practice levitating a feather in front of them. The only thing she was a little irritated with was Ron's constant swishing of his wand due to the fact that he was bored with the lesson and making an attempt to rush his abilities more than needed.

"No, no, no! Stop it before you take my eye out!" she snapped, snatching his wand from him, "Besides, you're saying it all wrong. It's _Levi-o-sa_, not Leviosar."

Ron glared at her and took his wand back from her. "You do it then if you're so clever! Go on and show us!"

Hermione smiled smugly with pride and picked up her wand, performing the swish and flick with uncanny grace. "_Wingardium Leviosa_."

Just then, the feather before her levitated upon command. The entire class looked turned to her with surprise and Flitwick grinned. "Oh my, look at that! Well done, Granger! See here everyone, Miss Granger's done it! Splendid work, Miss Granger!"

Ron sat in his chair, grumbling with disgust at the praise that Hermione was receiving. Later on after the class, he mocked her display with the rest of his friends and they couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous it was.

"'It's Levi-o-sa not Leviosar'," he drawled. Then, he continued in his normal voice. "She's a nightmare to be around, honestly! It's no wonder she hasn't got any friends!"

Then, Hermione shoved her way passed them, her head low with a sniffle to follow. She had tried to stifle it, but they had heard. They stopped in their pace and watched her go; Harry feeling guilty for even laughing at Ron's joke.

"I think she heard you." he said.

Hermione raced passed several students and hurried into the girl's bathroom before her tears could be noticed, slamming the stall door shut, ignoring Parvati Patil's concerned inquiry among the crowd. Immediately, she sat on the toilet seat and started to cry. It wasn't fair that she was good and everyone teased her for it. It wasn't fair that she was looked down upon for being Muggle - Born. None of it was fair.

Parvati entered the bathroom. "Hermione?" she called, "Are you in here?"

Hermione tried to stifle her sniffles, but the other girl heard her. She walked over to Hermione's stall and knocked on it lightly.

"Go away..." Hermione mumbled.

Parvati sighed and shook her head. "Hermione, don't listen to that Weasley boy," she told her, "He's just being dumb."

"Please," Hermione begged, "Just leave me alone..."

Parvati sighed with pity. "Do you want me to tell McGonagall?" she asked.

"No," Hermione said, and her voice trembled a bit, "Just leave me alone, please."

Parvati nodded her head. "Okay, but you can't stay in here forever," she pointed out, "It only makes them laugh more."

Hermione listened as Parvati left the bathroom. She sniffled quietly and bit her lip, rubbing the tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her robe. She wished that she was stronger and bigger than every single one of them. Then they wouldn't laugh at her anymore. They'd take her seriously and wouldn't call her terrible names like, "Mud-Blood". If she was bigger and stronger, she would be the best that the school ever had.

She would be better. Hermione wanted that and she was going to work hard for it.

O

The sun was starting to set and Hermione felt a little better after crying. She stepped out of the stall and started to leave until she caught sight of something she wasn't entirely expecting to see standing there in the bathroom with her.

A troll.

The large creature towered over her, clutching a massive stone club object in his hands. Its green body was covered in mild sores and scratches and it was wearing a small red vest and tattered loincloth. Its mouth was open slightly and sticky strands of drool dripped down its chin.

Hermione screamed and backed away as the troll roared out and brought the stone club down upon her head. She quickly ducked underneath the sink as the troll advanced toward her, swinging the club angrily. She held herself and cried out when she noticed Ron and Harry rushing into the bathroom. Despite what happened earlier, she was just relieved to see them now.

"Help!" she shouted, "I can't get out!"

Ron glared up at the troll. "Hey you, pea brain!" he shouted.

The troll turned toward the shout and growled menacingly at the two new potential prey. Ron and Harry immediately ducked in separate directions as the troll swung its club at them. It missed and cracked several more sinks in the process. Towers of water shot into the air and sprayed all over the floor. The troll lunged for Ron and Harry took the chance to leap up the creature's back and cling forcefully to his head.

The troll bellowed out in fury and thrashed its body wildly, attempting to dislodge the boy from its head. Ron raised his wand and attempted to figure out a spell that would somehow stop the troll. While Harry was getting tossed around, he yelled down to the boy desperately, stabbing his wand into the troll's nose in the process.

"Do something!"

"What?" Ron cried.

"Anything! Just hurry before he crushes me!"

Ron thrust his wand out at the troll and attempted to try the spell he had learned on the troll's club, but nothing happened. He looked desperately at Hermione and she demonstrated what he was supposed to do.

"'Swish and Flick'!" she reminded him.

Ron nodded and pointed his wand at the troll's club. He performed the swish and flick exactly as he should have and announced the spell. "_Wingardium Leviosa_!" he shouted.

The club suddenly sprang to life in the troll's hands and lifted into the air. Ron watched in amazement as Harry was flung from the troll's head and the club quickly clobbered the creature directly where Harry used to be. The two boys backed away as the troll moaned and staggered forward, dizzy from the blow of its own weapon. When its large body slowly started to fall forward, the two boys immediately moved out of the way as it crashed to the floor.

The three children slowly and cautiously approached the unconscious troll. Hermione poked it with the tip of her foot.

"Is it dead?" she wondered.

Harry shook his head and bent down to retrieve his wand from the monster's nostril. "No it's just knocked out for now," he answered, "And it's a good thing too. We would have been dead for sure there." He managed to pull his wand free and grimaced at the strands of snot sticking to it.

"Troll snot. Gross." Ron muttered, sickened.

Just then, the teachers - McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell-raced into the bathroom. McGonagall stared down at the troll's immobile form with shock, uttering a quick, "Oh my goodness!" and looked at the three students, pointing a jabbing finger at the two boys. "Explain yourselves, both of you!"

Ron and Harry withered under her stare and attempted talking at once before Hermione spoke up.

"It's my fault Professor McGonagall." she told her.

Ron and Harry exchanged surprised looks and McGonagall and the other teachers looked stunned as well.

"Miss Granger?" McGonagall said.

"I went on my own to go looking for the troll," Hermione told her, "I've read about them in my books and I thought that I could handle it by myself, but I was wrong. If Harry and Ron hadn't come and found me...the troll would have killed me for certain."

McGonagall was still stunned by a complete out-of-character move by the seemingly well-behaved student. "Confidence or not, it was an extremely foolish thing for you to go off and face this creature all on your own. I would have expected a more rational act on your part and I am very disappointed in you Miss Granger. Five points will be taken from Gryffindor for your serious lack of good judgement."

Hermione lowered her head and nodded. That seemed more than fair.

McGonagall turned to the boys now and grimaced slightly. "As for you two gentlemen; I just hope you realize how fortunate you are to be alive. Not many first year students could take on a fully grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale." After gesturing briefly to the troll, she stared at them and then added seemingly sarcastically. "Five points will be awarded to each of you. For your act of sheer dumb luck."

The boy's eyes lit up with delight and Hermione smiled at them.

Maybe now things were going to be different.

Later that night, Hermione climbed into bed and while Parvati and Fay Dunbar prepared to sleep as well.

"You look better," Parvati said, smiling.

Lavender Brown walked into the dorm room and yawned before she climbed into bed. At the center of the room was a flaming stove that heated the entire dorm. Hermione was carefully studying the stone beneath her bed sheets and hid it when Parvati talked to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she told the girl, "Thanks for asking."

Parvati smiled and nodded her head before she climbed into bed. After everyone was asleep, Hermione had noticed that the stone was no longer glowing. In fact, it looked like a simple onyx pebble to her now. She began to wonder if she had been tricked by that Scottish wizard in the shop.

Hermione growled and shoved the stone into her suitcase before pulling the covers over her head. That was the last time that she would be scammed again.

The following morning, Hermione's scream pierced throughout the entire girl's Gryffindor dormitory.

O

Parvati ran bare - footed and in her night robes early that morning down the hallways toward McGonagall's room.

She was breathless and her face streaked with sweat. Once she arrived at the Head of Gryffindor's house, she beat on the door frantically with two hands, desperate to get the teacher's attention no matter what the outcome. After a moment of nothing but loud beating, the door opened and McGonagall stared down at her with an exhausted look on her face. She was wearing her black night robes as well and looked like she had just woken up.

"Miss Patil, what are you doing out of your room this early?" she demanded.

"Professor McGonagall, you have to come quickly!" Parvati gasped, her features filled with fear of an unknown kind, "It's Hermione! I think there might be something terribly wrong with her!"

McGonagall's face softened and now she looked concerned. Ignoring her state of attire for the moment, the Headmistress of the house quickly followed the student down the hallways, rushing back to the Gryffindor common room.

"What's wrong with Miss. Granger?" she asked.

"I don't know!" Parvati gasped, "She's locked herself in the girl's bathroom and she won't come out!"

That deeply troubled the teacher even more.

They quickly moved through the halls until they arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Password?" the portrait asked.

McGonagall glared at her with a stern, hard look that could chill the coldest stone. "Open this door at once!" she commanded, "I have a student in distress!"

The Fat Lady didn't argue with her that time and the portrait creaked open to allow her passage. The two immediately rushed into the Gryffindor common room where Parvati led McGonagall up the stairs toward the girl's dormitories. There were a group of students already crowding around the bathroom door, whispering with concern. McGonagall pushed them gently aside and she moved her way to the door.

"Hermione Granger, are you there?" she called.

No response.

"She's been in there for a while!" Lavender said, worried, "Someone heard her scream and before we knew it, she was gone and out of our room."

McGonagall beat on the bathroom door with one, hard fist. "Hermione Granger, open this door immediately!" she commanded, in her strictest teacher voice, "Granger, open it right now!"

Still no response.

McGonagall gestured for the students to back away from her and they quickly stepped aside to allow for her to open the door. She pulled out her wand from her night robes and pointed it to the door handle. "All of you, stay back!"

After a wordless spell was cast, the door lock clicked and the door itself creaked open. McGonagall stepped into the bathroom and looked back at the worried girls. "I want each and every one of you into your rooms," she ordered, "Get dressed and ready for class."

They immediately disappeared from the room and rushed back to their dormitories. McGonagall searched the small bathroom for Hermione, but didn't see her anywhere. The teacher began to grow even more concerned and she raised her wand to illuminate the darkened bathroom.

"Hermione?" she called, "Are you all right?"

A soft shuffling sound drew McGonagall's attention toward the back stall nearest the wall. She approached it and pushed the door open with one hand. Her eyes widened in horror and disbelief at what she saw sitting there naked on the toilet.

A woman.

There was a woman with long curly brown hair sitting curled up naked on the toilet seat clutching a wand tightly in one hand. The woman was very beautiful by the teacher's standards and quite tall than what most women were. She didn't seem to notice the teacher there and was staring straight ahead, her eyes wide and frightened. McGonagall reached out with one hand, but pulled away for fear of frightening the woman.

McGonagall furrowed her brow and advanced slowly. "Hello?" she said.

The woman gave a terrified cry and leveled her wand at her without realizing what she was doing. When her terrified eyes seemed to focus clearly on the teacher there, she lowered her wand slowly and whimpered. It was a pitiful, soleful sound that wrenched McGonagall's heart.

"P-Professor McGonagall?" she stammered.

McGonagall's eyes widened and she nearly felt her gray hair curling at the back of her neck. She recognized the voice immediately. Although it was aged and not as high as it had been, she knew who she was talking to.

"Hermione?" she whispered, haunted.

O

Hermione had no clothes that would fit any longer, so she had to resort to walking to Dumbledore's office with her bedsheets wrapped tightly around her body. She kept her eyes lowered to the floor as many students stared at her with confusion and hushed whispers. When she entered the office - passing a large, ugly gray gargoyle - Dumbledore, Filch, Parvati and Snape were there. Dumbledore looked up at the transformed Hermione with mild surprise on his aged features. Snape curled his lip with disgust and Filch barely reacted at all save for a gruff snort.

"So it's true after all..." Dumbledore said, softly, "This is our little Hermione."

"Hardly little at all, if I may say so, Headmaster," Snape growled, glaring daggers at the witch, "She must have done something in order for her to become this way. Perhaps she entered the Forbidden Floor the way we had told her not to!"

Hermione shook her head desperately. "I didn't!"

McGonagall immediately gave Snape a harsh, reprimanding look. "Accusations are not necessary at this time, Professor Snape," she said, "We haven't even heard Hermione's side of the story yet."

Snape snorted gruffly, but remained silent. McGonagall turned to Hermione and spoke gently. "Miss. Granger, it is imperative that we know everything you did before this happened. You have to tell us every little detail so that we can help you fix this."

Hermione looked at each face waiting for her response and she shivered, holding the bed sheet tightly closed before speaking. "I-I don't know how it happened!" she said, "I just woke up like this this morning, I swear!"

"Did you eat anything you shouldn't have?" Dumbledore asked.

"No!"

"Did you cast any spells you shouldn't have?" McGonagall asked.

"Never!"

Snape glared again. "Did you _touch_ anything you shouldn't have?"

Hermione glared back at him fiercely. "No!"

Parvati looked up at McGonagall. "She went straight to bed last night, Professor," she told her, "I saw her with my own eyes."

Hermione withered under the harsh stare from Snape before she turned to Dumbledore. "Please sir, believe me, I didn't do anything wrong!" she told him, "I went straight to bed after the incident with the troll, I swear it!"

"Well SOMETHING caused this to happen..." McGonagall said.

Hermione was quiet for a long time, trying with all her might to collect every bit of memories she had done before this morning. The teachers watched her thoughtful expression and suddenly, something changed in her gaze. Her eyes slowly widened and her lips parted with a soft gasp.

"No...it can't be..." she whispered.

"What?" Snape demanded.

Hermione looked at Parvati. "Can you please get my trunk in the dorm room?" she asked.

Parvati nodded her head. "Sure."

The girl quickly took off out of the office. Hermione shook her head and gripped it with one hand, suddenly feeling the urge to sit down. McGonagall placed her hands on her shoulders and stared at her worriedly.

"Miss Granger, what is it?" she asked.

After a moment, Parvati returned to the office dragging Hermione's trunk behind her. She winced and took a few deep breaths before placing the heavy thing at Hermione's feet. Immediately, Hermione opened the trunk and dug through her clothes, books and other objects before she found what she was looking for; the black stone. When she held it up to the teachers, McGonagall leaned forward first to take a look.

"This is the cause of it!" Hermione told them, "It has to be!"

McGonagall scrutinized the object before reaching out to it with her wand. Immediately, she levitated it onto Dumbledore's desk and the teachers surveyed the thing for a brief moment, taking a time to try and understand what it was. After waiting for several long seemingly slow minutes of maddening silence, McGonagall's eyes widened and she gasped softly.

"Miss Granger, this object is of powerful dark magic!" she exclaimed, turning to her, "Wherever did you get it?"

Hermione trembled beneath their stares. "I-I bought it in Diagon Alley!" she said, "F-From a man named Naberius."

McGonagall nodded her head. "We will visit this Naberius and see what we can do about changing you back," she told her, "Professor Snape and I will find him and bring him to justice for what he has done."

Snape frowned at her. "With all due respect, she still purchased this object."

"Be that as it may, Severus," McGonagall chided, "She was deceived in the end. Naberius will have to face the Ministry for tricking an innocent child with such a dark object."

Snape nodded his head, a little more reasonable this time. "Of course."

McGonagall turned to Hermione now. "In the mean time, we must get you something to wear..."


	2. 2

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the end of the first chapter was borrowed from the film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out.

"The key to change... is to let go of fear."

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Two**

_1992_

Hermione wasn't keen on the idea of wearing McGonagall's spare black robes. The teacher argued that hopefully, it would only be temporary and Hermione hoped just the same way. Walking through Diagon Alley with Snape and McGonagall in front of her made her feel like she was about to be executed. Not only would it be embarrassing for her to face that strange Scottish man again, but imagine what he would say when he saw her like this.

"Miss Granger, where is this man?" McGonagall asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Hermione looked around the alley, passed several witches and wizards before she spotted the fat, disgusting shape of Naberius standing in his shop, whistling a happy tune to himself as he counted coins on his counter top. She pursed her lips furiously, thinking of how utterly horrible he was acting so smug and cheerful when he knew perfectly well that he had just ruined her life. She made a bee - line directly for his shop and the two teachers followed her.

"Prepare your wand, Severus," McGonagall told the Potions Master.

Hermione didn't care what they had planned. The anger overrode her embarrassment now that she saw the man and she immediately stormed into his shop. He grinned at the sight of her, obviously not recognizing her just yet.

"Well, good morning, pretty lass!" he greeted, "What can I do you for?"

Hermione grabbed the stone from Snape and slapped it onto the counter before he could retort. Naberius stared down at the thing and laughed. "Awfully lovely rock you have there," he told her, "But I can't buy something that useless."

"It's not useless!" Hermione spat, "It did this - " She gestured to herself. " - to me!"

Naberius mumbled with amusement and picked up the rock before he looked at her now. He was quiet for several moments. Then, his eyes darkened slightly and he frowned at her curiously. "Hmm, you look awfully familiar," he said, "Have we met before?"

"Yes, we have!" Hermione barked, "I was the girl in your shop! The one who bought this cursed wishing stone from you!"

Naberius' eyes widened and he looked up at the sight of the two teacher's wands now leveled in his face. He laughed nervously before looking at Hermione incredulously. "What did you wish for, anyway?" he asked.

"It was a mistake!" Hermione told him, "I was upset and I wished that I could be bigger and stronger. But I was angry!"

Naberius held up his hands and grinned weakly. "Well, I'm sorry, but I can't help you there."

"What do you mean, you cannot help?" Snape asked, glaring menacingly at the fat man, "You sold her the stone and you don't even know how it works?"

Naberius gave Snape a sour look, like he had just insulted him. "Of course I do!" he answered, gruffly, "Once a wish is made, there ain't no turning back from it. It can't be reversed."

Snape advanced on him and grabbed him by the front of his collar. He pressed his wand harshly into Naberius' cheek. "You're lying."

"No, I'm serious!" Naberius protested, wincing in pain, "The magic is binding!"

"And how did someone...like you come across such an object?" Snape asked.

Naberius smirked at him when he pulled his wand back a little. "I traveled far up north!" he told him, "The wizards there deal in the Dark Arts! Let's just say that I got...sticky with the magic up there and thought I'd help myself to a...finder's fee, if ya' get my drift."

McGonagall frowned. "And what made you decide to sell it?"

"It was bad, real bad!" Naberius continued, shaking his head frantically, "When I got to my boat, they found me before I could get away. They threatened me, but also offered me a deal since they respected my cunning. They told me to give the stone to another and I'd be free from their curse."

Hermione snarled and launched herself at him, grabbing him by his pudgy throat. "You dirty little man!" she shrieked, struggling as McGonagall pulled her from the man, "I'm like this because of your selfishness!"

Naberius rubbed his neck and laughed coldly. "Don't act all high and mighty, girl!" he snapped, pointing a finger at her, "You were just as selfish if you thought you could have everything in the world!" He pointed a finger at her. "You're just as guilty as me!"

McGonagall stared at him harshly. "Yes, but she's not the one who will be going to Azkaban."

O

Hermione couldn't think.

It was difficult to think about anything right now.

She was an adult now. A matured young woman. She was a grown woman in less than a day and she hadn't even had the Talk that her parents constantly went on about! She had no idea what she was going to do now in this position. What would her parents think if they knew what had happened to their little girl? Would they hate her? Would they be ashamed of her? Unfortunately, McGonagall had the answer to that.

"We must inform your parents of this," she told her, once they returned to Hogwarts and entered her office. Dumbledore was waiting for them there and she gave him a respectable nod before looking at Hermione. "They must know."

Hermione felt sick now. "Will I have to leave?"

McGonagall looked at her with surprise. "Of course not!" she answered, "You are still a student here as far as I am concerned and still need to learn your magical skills. No, you most certainly will NOT be leaving."

Hermione smiled weakly with relief.

"However, there is a concern of what must be done with you," McGonagall continued, "Some of the staff believe that you are now too old to attend traditional classes."

Hermione frowned. She could only guess who those staff members were. "What do YOU think?" she asked.

"You need to learn to hone your magical skills," McGonagall told her, "Regardless of what the feelings are around here."

Hermione licked her lips thoughtfully, trying to think of a way to get around the problem. "Maybe I can try to be... Perhaps there's a small chance that I can be...a teacher's assistant or something of that sort."

The two teachers looked at her with confusion. "A teacher's assistant?" McGonagall said.

"Yes. In the Muggle world, there would sometimes be other student teachers who would give the full - time teachers a hand with the students. Doing small work, collecting papers, and so forth; but they still did it to learn the skills of the trade," Hermione explained, "That way, I can be working and learning my magic at the same time."

Dumbledore smiled at the idea. "Excellent idea, Granger!" he told her, "You can report to the classrooms assigned to your schedule every day."

Lunch was no better.

When it was time to eat, Hermione couldn't sit in the student's table because it would seem strange to have a fully - grown woman sitting with kids, but she couldn't sit at the teacher's table either. She couldn't have any place to be with anyone. Instead of letting the stares get to her, she picked up a plate and picked up some food before deciding to eat her meal elsewhere. The gardens would probably be nice.

When Hermione walked outside with her food, she was approached by Nearly Headless Nick. The ghost floated above her with a piteous smile.

"Miss Granger, I have heard what happened; I'm so sorry," he said.

Hermione smiled sadly. She felt a knot in her stomach - an indication that she wanted to cry. Instead, she nodded her head. "Thank you, Sir Nicholas."

"You know, the spirits of the other houses are settling in the courtyard for a get together," he told her, "You're welcome to join us."

That sounded nice.

O

Hermione sat in the courtyard at a bench with the four ghosts in mid conversation with her.

"All I am saying is that 'nearly headless' should not be any reason whatsoever to denounce me from my place at in the Headless Hunt!" Nearly Headless Nick proclaimed. "It's downright prejudice and just rude of them!"

The Bloody Baron looked at him with regal boredom. "I think it's quite obvious, don't you agree, Granger?" the spirit said, looking down at an amused Hermione.

"Well, yes," she said, with a mouthful of corn, "Otherwise you can't play Head Polo."

The Fat Friar laughed at her joke. "Ah! Now you see? She understands!"

Hermione laughed and shook her head, gnawing her way through her chicken. She looked up at the sight of Harry and Ron running up to her and placed her plate of food to the side. They stood there breathless for a few moments.

"What do you guys want?" she asked.

"Hermione, we were worried about you," Ron told her, "We saw you leaving and thought you'd want company."

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "It's a nice thought, Ron," she told him, "But really, I'm just not in the mood..."

Ron cocked his head. "Why not?"

Harry winced at his question and Hermione's eyes narrowed at the boy and she began to shout without realizing. "Why not?" she repeated, flabbergast, "WHY NOT?" She stood up and gestured to herself. "I just lost my childhood, Ronald! All in one stupid, dumb move! I can't go back to being a kid anymore! I'm all grown up and..." She trailed off and felt herself slowly starting to cry again. "...I can never go back!"

Harry stared at her sympathetically and he took a spot beside the taller woman. "Hermione, I'm sorry..." he said, gently patting her shoulder.

Hermione covered her face with both hands and started crying softly. She stifled as much of it as possible and didn't want any of them to shower her with too much pity. Harry and Ron put their arms around her in a comforting hug and she didn't argue with it either.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," Ron told her.

"For what?" Hermione asked, still keeping her face covered.

"For saying those things about you the other day," Ron told her, "Parvati got on me about it."

Hermione stifled a laugh. "I told her not to bother..."

"Hermione, what are you going to do now?" Harry asked her, "They're not going to make you leave, are they?"

"No, no, no," Hermione said, shaking her head, "They said I can stay as long as I help the teachers and still maintain my studies."

Harry smiled in relief. "That's good."

Hermione looked up at the sight of Draco, Crabbe and Goyle approaching them. She sighed heavily and stood up, taking her plate with her. She didn't want to deal with this right now and just wanted to avoid having any issues.

"Well, look who it is!" Draco sneered up at Hermione, "Little - Miss - Perfect is all grown up now! Bet you think you're real special, don't you?"

Ron glared at the blonde-haired boy. "Shut it, Malfoy!"

Hermione sighed. "Draco, I don't feel up to dealing with your smarmy attitude right now."

Harry smiled slightly and suddenly had an idea. He looked at Draco with absolute cunning in his voice. "Draco, she's an adult now," he told the boy, "You know you can't disrespect any adults at Hogwarts or it's detention."

Draco laughed with contempt. "Please, don't try to scare me, Potter!" he snapped.

Hermione caught on to Harry's tone and smiled broadly. She looked down at Draco. "Maybe I should find Filch and see if he needs company tonight," she suggested, in a mischievous tone, "I know he likes children."

Draco paled somewhat but swallowed and gave her a defiant glare. "You wouldn't!" he hissed.

"Really? I wouldn't?"

Draco glared up at her furiously. "My father will hear about this!" he spat.

As he walked away, Hermione called angrily after him. "I'm not afraid of your windbag of a father!" she shouted, "Do you understand?"

O

The first class was with Professor Sprout.

Hermione was actually happy because Professor Sprout was actually very nice. She seemed considerably forgiving when she accidentally dropped a Mandrake pot and tossed the dirt everywhere. Also, the screaming Mandrake wasn't too happy with that either.

"Granger, don't forget your earmuffs!" Sprout told her, before Hermione made a mad dash for the creature as it scurried beneath the tables.

The class erupted into laughter as Hermione crawled on her hands and knees to try and catch the runaway Mandrake. She growled with frustration, scrambling through the dirt and broken pottery as the creature scattered toward the door. It ran directly into it and she seized the creature by its leaves and lifted it up. Professor Sprout sighed with relief and placed a hand on her chest, shaking her head as Hermione carried the creature toward a fresh pot of soil.

"Granger, that was madness!" she told her, "You must learn to be more careful!"

Hermione smiled sheepishly. "Sorry Professor Sprout," she said, "I suppose it wasn't smart trying to lift two with my wand."

Sprout sighed and nodded. "Well, perhaps you can fetch me some pots then?"

Hermione quickly moved to the back of the classroom to gather the pots while Sprout continued to teach the class. "Four of you to one tray then...there is a large supply of pots that Miss Granger will pass out to you... And then we have our compost in the sacks over there..." She gestured to a few brown, dirty sacks of compost behind the students, "...Also, I want you to please mind the Venomous Tentacula, it's teething."

Though the tiny Venus Flytrap-like plants were stationary, the students still kept a safe distance from them as they hissed hungrily. Draco laughed at Ron's terrified expression and Hermione rolled her eyes at the immaturity of it.

"Miss Granger," Sprout said, turning to her, "Once you are finished, could you please send this to Dumbledore's office?"

Hermione turned and Sprout handed her a medium - sized basket. She took it into her hands and frowned curiously at the teacher. "What's in here?" she asked.

Sprout smiled at her with that usual cheerful smile. "It's some of his favorite candy," she said, "He asked for me to get it for him at the shops in Hogsmeade the other day. I know he'll enjoy these delicious flavors."

Hermione felt a little disgusted with being an "errand girl", but she respectfully nodded her head and left the greenhouse, carrying the basket filled with candy. She strolled through the courtyard and made a very exceedingly long trip toward the Headmaster's Tower. There were few students in the hall this morning - no doubt in their classes-and Hermione couldn't resist the urge to talk a bit to herself to ease the tension of the silence.

"What am I going to do?" she wondered out loud, "How can I tell mom and dad about this?" She sighed with hopelessness and felt another pang of sadness in her chest. "Dad gets stressed as it is and mom has so much to worry about..."

A portrait of Armando Dippet scoffed at her. "Miss! Do you mind keeping it down?" he snapped, "We can hear you!"

Hermione cringed up at the irritated portrait. "I'm sorry."

She backed away and didn't see Snape appear right behind her. She knocked into him and he barely budged when she whirled with surprise. When she saw who it was, she relaxed just the slightest, but still looked tense by the presence of the Potion's Master.

"Granger..." Snape muttered, as if he had tasted something foul, "What brings you here?"

"I have something for Professor Dumbledore," Hermione told him, "Professor Sprout sent me."

Snape's eyes landed on the basket and he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Ah, his sweets no doubt," he said, "Don't worry about this. I will take it to him." He reached out to take the basket, but Hermione pulled away.

"No, I will," she argued, "I am just as capable as anyone here. Nothing's changed."

Snape lowered his arms into his robes and narrowed his eyes. She watched him survey her entire form with dismay. "Obviously..."

For some reason, now that she was on the same level as Snape, Hermione didn't feel as intimidated anymore. Though despite how that fact aside was satisfying, Hermione still didn't like this position she was in. She frowned at him angrily.

"Do you honestly think I derive any satisfaction from this?" she protested, "Do you think I enjoy being on the same level as you?"

Snape glared at her and took a very menacing step forward. She almost backed away on reflex, but surprised herself by staying perfectly still. "Granger, just because you have suffered a freak accident does not give you the authority to speak to me in such a way!" he spat, "As far as I am concerned, you are still an irritating little whelp of a girl and should never have been given a second chance to stay here." His nose curled with a cruel sneer. "They should have just sent you away for even purchasing that Dark Artifact from that man."

That hurt more than she wanted or expected it to.

"You're wrong, you know..." she hissed, her voice straining out of her, when he brushed coldly passed her.

"The truth hurts," Snape called back to her, his cloak fluttering around him like a living shadow.

Hermione glared after him, gritting her teeth from the tears that threatened to burst forth from her. As Snape walked away, Dumbledore appeared behind her and sighed with pity. He placed a hand on the woman's shoulder.

"Don't take it too harshly, Miss. Granger," he told her, gently, "Snape can be quite difficult to understand, but he has a good heart."

Hermione scoffed tearfully in disbelief. "A heart? How can that man have anything like a heart? Is it made of ice?" she muttered.

Dumbledore chuckled softly. "Not as far as I know," he replied. His eyes landed on the basket and Hermione watched them light up with delight. "Ahh! Could that be my Licorice Snaps Pomona brought for me?"

Hermione couldn't help her giggle and she handed the basket to the teacher. "Yes, I suppose they are."

Dumbledore smiled and took the basket. "Ahh! Would you care to indulge?" he asked, "I was about to have some tea."

"But shouldn't I get back to Professor Sprout?" Hermione asked, gesturing behind her.

Dumbledore started walking and gestured for her to follow. Hermione obeyed and tagged at his side. They walked down the halls until they reached Dumbledore's office door, still guarded by that enormous, ugly gray gargoyle. Once they entered, Hermione took a spot across from Dumbledore's desk and he carefully opened the basket, pouring the Licorice Snaps into a goblet. Hermione watched in surprise as the candy seemed to take on a life of its own; snapping and hissing like snakes.

"Um, sir?" she asked, "If I may... Something tells me you asked me here."

Dumbledore took a spot behind his desk. "Yes, I did," he said, "You were bright to catch on to that." He gave her a comforting smile and Hermione attempted to smile with him. Then, his features turned serious. "We must inform your parents, Hermione. It is their right to know."

Hermione's smile disappeared. "How do I tell them something like this?"

"If you wish, I can accompany you," Dumbledore offered, "Perhaps for moral support."

Hermione smiled weakly now. It would be nice to have a teacher with her to help explain things to her parents. The only thing that she didn't want to see was the two of them sad. Hermione hated seeing them sad or disappointed. It made her feel twice as horrible. But having Dumbledore with her sort of took the edge off a bit.

"Thank you, sir," she said.

Dumbledore stood up and turned his attention to a large fireplace. "Now then, shall we be off?"

O

Going back home made Hermione feel a bit strange.

To her, it was like she had stolen something and they were making her go back to tell her parents. When they arrived at the front door, Dumbledore knocked lightly on it. They waited for a moment and Hermione looked around the front yard of her house to the various toys that her mother still hadn't picked up yet. The sight made Hermione all the more sick. Her parents were still very much in love with her childhood.

She didn't have time to think about it when her father opened the door. He must have gotten off of work at the office because he was wearing his special evening shirt and pants that he loved so much. He also had a book under his arm.

"Yes?" he said, "May I help you?"

"Good day, Mister Granger sir," Dumbledore greeted, "I'm Albus Dumbledore, your daughter's teacher at Hogwarts."

Her father's eyes lit up briefly. "Oh! Yes, come in!" he said, stepping aside.

Hermione winced and followed stiffly behind Dumbledore like that of a wind - up toy. Her father still hadn't noticed her there just yet. Hermione couldn't see her mother anywhere on the first floor. Fortunately, Dumbledore did most of the talking for her.

"Forgive me sir, but where might Miss. Granger be?" he asked, "I do have something to discuss with the both of you."

Hermione's father entered the kitchen. "She will be down shortly," he told him, "She's showering now. Would you like something to drink?"

Dumbledore politely nodded. "A spot of tea, if you don't mind."

As her father prepared the pot of water, Hermione stared pleadingly at Dumbledore, silently begging for some kind of help. Dumbledore just winked at her reassuringly before he looked up at the sight of Miss. Granger - Hermione's Mother - coming down the steps. She was carrying a collection of photo albums in her arms.

"Honey, I think we should really get started on organizing these because mom's coming over and - "

She cut herself off and looked up at the sight of Dumbledore and Hermione standing there. Her eyes landed on Hermione and locked onto her. They widened with horror and Hermione winced when her mother suddenly passed out onto the floor.

Her father immediately rushed to her side and Dumbledore smiled at Hermione. "Well, I say she took that better than I thought!"

After carrying her to the couch and fanning her down a bit to give her air, Hermione's mother slowly started coming to. Hermione stared down at her with worry. "Mom, are you okay?" she asked.

Her mother's eyes widened as big as dinner plates and she suddenly shrieked out, jumping into a sitting position. She immediately looked at Dumbledore with terror. "What have you done to my daughter?" she demanded, a scream in her voice.

Her father suddenly caught on and he looked at Hermione with equal distress. "Hermione?" he exclaimed.

Hermione held out two hands. "Mom, dad, I can explain..." she began.

Their parents glared furiously at Dumbledore. "What did you do to her?" they cried, at the same time. Mister Granger shouted afterwards. "Did you use some kind of perverted magic trick to turn her into this?"

Hermione wasn't too keen on hearing that and she held out two hands. "Dad, no, it wasn't his fault!"

Her father glared at her now. "What did I tell you about using 'magic' to make improvements on yourself?" he shouted, "I was okay with this whole thing unless you did something like this! Now I want you to change back to the way you were!"

"I can't!" Hermione insisted.

"What do you mean, 'you can't'?" her father nearly shrieked, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her, "You were fine just as you were! I want you to change back to my little girl right NOW!"

Hermione was almost at tears. "If I wanted to-and I do-I can't!" she cried.

Her father stared at her with mute horror. He looked her up and down before taking a few steps back. "You...You can't change back?" he asked, his voice completely hushed now.

Hermione sadly shook her head.

Her father looked at Dumbledore. "How did this happen?" he demanded.

Dumbledore rose. "Well, it appears that our dear Hermione Granger suffered from the trickery of a man named Naberius; he sold her a magical artifact - a wishing stone - and she unwittingly wished upon it," he explained, "The wish was completely taken out of context, it seems. The object casts a binding seal on the wisher, so unfortunately, this cannot be reversed."

Hermione's father stared at his daughter with despair. "So...I can't have my baby girl back?"

"Sir, she is still your child," Dumbledore pointed out, "Just...grown up."

Hermione smiled sorrowfully as her father slowly reached out to hold her. Her mother joined in. Dumbledore watched the touching, sad scene between the three Granger's and shook his head with pity. It would be hard for them to get over it, that much was certain.

When returning to Hogwarts, Hermione was conflicted as to where she was going to stay from now on. She couldn't sleep in her dorm for two reasons; she couldn't FIT in her bed anymore and the teachers didn't think it was right for her to sleep in a room with children. She was baffled by this. What did they honestly think she was going to do anyway?

Filch led her across the courtyard with his lantern in hand. Miss Norris trailed at his side and Hermione carried her things with her. He was taking her somewhere for her to stay for the time being until they could find someplace else.

"Keep following..." Filch ordered.

Hermione looked up in surprise as he led her straight to the clock tower. "The clock tower?" she gasped, "Seriously? I'm going to sleep in the tower?"

Filch stopped at the steps and gave her a sneer. "Look on the bright side; at least you're never late for class," he said, particularly cruelly.

Hermione made a disgusted face and followed him into the tower. It was dark and somewhat cold, but she had been practicing some book spells to keep the place warm, so that wouldn't be a problem. A little work and she'll be fine for now.

"Ugh..." she grumbled, "This place is awful."

Filch chuckled dryly. "Then I have done my job for today."

He laughed cruelly and walked out of the tower, leaving an irritated Hermione alone. She cast a charm to light up the entire lower floor of the tower. It was dusty and not very charming, but Hermione would have to do with this. She made herself comfortable and decided that maybe it was time to practice a few spells.

She would be spending a lot of time on them.


	3. 3

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the end of the first chapter was borrowed from the film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out.

"The key to change... is to let go of fear."

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Three**

_1992_

The bell was louder than she had expected.

Hermione awoke and her body was in pain. She had spent all night trying out new spells with only varying degrees of success. In the middle of her practice, she had fallen asleep sitting up against the wall and was now in pain from stiff joints and a sore neck. Now, she scrambled hurriedly to get herself dressed; McGonagall had her robes tailored so that they would fit properly for her. Hermione groaned as she struggled into her pants. The bell chimed again and nearly threw her off of her feet.

"I know!" she shouted angrily up at the bell as if it were a living being, "I'm late. I KNOW!"

Once she was finally dressed, she quickly gathered her wand and hurried out of the tower, running as fast as she could. She quickly glanced down at her schedule and checked whose class she had this morning.

Her heart sank into her stomach.

Severus Snape in Potions.

Hermione ran as fast as her legs could carry her; she was not willing to deal with his horrible attitude today and she didn't want to give him a reason to do so to begin with. She nearly tripped down the stairs that led to Snape's classroom and much to her dismay, she saw him standing there at the door, a very impatient grimace on his narrow features. He must have been waiting for her on purpose.

"Granger, so good of you to finally join us," he said, his words slithering out of him, "Did you not hear the bell in that tower?"

There were scattered laughs from inside the classroom and Hermione felt her face going red with embarrassment. She gave him a rather curt nod. "For your information, I did." she answered.

Snape curled his nose. "Get inside before I change my mind about letting you stay in my class," he told her, stepping aside to allow for her to pass.

Hermione moved like a mechanical toy passed him, ignoring the hard stares. Snape gestured with a snap of his long fingers. "Granger!"

She halted and turned. "Yes?" she asked.

"The books." he ordered.

She stared at him cluelessly.

Snape's eyes narrowed harshly when she refused to acknowledge. "Retrieve the books from the shelves and bring them to me!" he spat, startling everyone from his sudden outburst, "Is that in any way difficult for you to understand?"

Hermione shook her head briskly and quickly rushed to the shelves to gather the books for the students. She passed them out around the tables and Snape watched her like an angry hawk surveying a terrified mouse.

"Thank you." he snapped.

Harry frowned at him. "Sir, but we always get our own books," he pointed out.

Snape glared at him now. "Silence, Potter..." he warned.

"But it doesn't seem right-" Harry began.

Hermione looked at him from across the room and shook her head with warning, silently telling the boy not to argue and risk getting himself into trouble. Harry clicked his mouth shut with a small muffle of protest and Ron stared at Hermione with pity before looking down at his cauldron, refusing to be caught looking at her. Snape turned attention to his chalkboard, starting to write down instructions.

"Class, turn to page 17," he ordered, "We will be starting on a Boil-Cure potion today. Granger will gather your ingredients for you. You have one hour to complete your task."

At that seemingly subtle command, Hermione immediately studied the list and began to gather bottles of various objects and ingredients such as Flobberworm Mucus and Porcupine quills into her arms and she attempted to gather entirely too many into her arms. Snape rolled his eyes at her frantic movements and uttered an impatient curse. Draco snickered and turned to Crabbe and Goyle.

"Watch this..." he whispered.

After passing out their ingredients to the other students, Hermione started to work her way passed the Slytherin table and that's when Draco took his chance. He stuck his foot out and tripped her. She went down and the sound of glass breaking shattered the horrid silence. The class immediately erupted with laughter and Snape sucked his cheeks in, his face turning red.

"Granger!" he shouted.

The Flobberworm Mucus was sticking to Hermione's hair and hands in globs. She groaned with embarrassment and looked up at Harry and Ron from the floor and they stared back with pain. They weren't laughing and a few other Gryffindor's at their table weren't either.

Snape advanced and glared down at Hermione. "Granger, are you truly incapable of even performing an every day task such as walking?" he snapped, "Now you've wasted entirely new product that I will have to replace! Get up and clean this mess at once."

Harry watched her face turn almost purple, her lips tighten and her eyes burn with fury and embarrassment. She looked almost like Uncle Vernon when he was about to lose his temper and that just wasn't going to end well for her or for Snape either.

"No."

The class hushed themselves with surprise and needless to say, Snape did as well. He blinked as if he hadn't heard her correctly. "Excuse me?" he said.

"No!" Hermione spat, standing. She shook some of the mucus out of her hands, ignoring the stray giggles from the Slytherin's in the room. "I am not a damn House Elf! I am a student! I don't deserve this vile disrespect and I damn well don't ask for it either! If this is the respect that you command, I'm better off just going home!" She watched Snape's face nearly turn purple and his jaw set with fury. "Clean the mess yourself!"

With that, she brushed passed him and walked out of the class, still trying to clean the gunk and quills out of her hair and robes. Snape immediately followed after her and the class quickly gathered around the doorway and abandoned their desks to see just what would happen between the now adult Granger and their Potion's Teacher.

"Granger!" Snape shouted, pursuing her in a fast walk, "Do you really think that I'm going to let you disrespect me in my class!"

"Respect?" Hermione gasped angrily, whirling and glaring at him, "So it's respect that you want?"

Snape stopped when she did, ignoring her as she struggled to get a glob of mucus and quills out of her hair. "I will not be talked in such a way nor will I have you turn your back on me in front of my students!" he nearly shouted.

"If I'm mistaken-which I'm clearly not-you must earn respect before you get it!" Hermione snapped, wincing in pain by tugging her hair with a gob of mucus, "Do you honestly believe that you can wave your precious wand and by some form of spell or incantation, you'll have commanded respect? It doesn't work that way!"

"You must really enjoy punishment, Granger," Snape hissed, "Perhaps I can bring that up when I decide to get you expelled."

Hermione's eyes narrowed now and she stopped in her attempt to remove the goo. "You don't have the authority."

"Don't I?" Snape challenged, "All it would take is one simple word and you would be out of here without question."

Hermione wanted to retort with something, but she couldn't right now given her rather unsightly condition. Instead, she huffed angrily and turned, storming down the hallway to get herself clean. Snape watched her go for a moment before he turned and noticed that his students were standing in the hallway and had watched the entire altercation. His eyes narrowed menacingly.

"Oh, it seems that everyone has volunteered themselves for detention!" Snape bellowed.

They quickly returned back into the classroom with simultaneous cries of terror.

O

It almost took an hour to get all the goo and quills out of her hair.

She took a walk outside to try and clear her head of angry thoughts and noticed that the half - giant Hagrid was outside of his hut, gathering a large black cauldron in his hands. When he saw her, he flashed her a smile and gestured for her to approach.

"Hermione, come over here!" he called, "I got something to show you!"

Hermione raised a brow and followed Hagrid into his hut. There was a large round oval shaped object sitting at the center of his table. She tilted her head curiously and leaned forward to get a good look at what it was. Hagrid smiled at her.

"Nice isn't it?" he said, "It's about to hatch any second now!"

Hermione smiled now, intrigued. "What is it?" she asked.

"You'll see!"

She waited and sure enough, a small cracking sound filled the air. The two eagerly watched as the egg rocked slightly and a small, green nose popped out from the broken shell. A slender, serpentine shape followed; it was about the size of a small chicken and had tiny, leathery wings. It was a dragon. A baby dragon. It squealed and moved around on the table. Hagrid's large dog hybrid - Fang - growled softly at the creature.

"Is that a baby dragon?" she gasped, amazed.

Hagrid nodded proudly. "You bet it is!" he told her, "I named him Norbert, you know. It's cute; the little fella thinks of me as his mommy." He grinned down at the chirping dragon and began to make odd cooing voices. "Ooh, who's your mommy? Who's your mommy?"

Hermione made a face. "Hagrid..." she began.

He nodded his head sheepishly. "Right..." He looked up at her now. "So what are ya' doing out of class anyway? Won't Snape be upset?"

"When's he NEVER upset?" Hermione snapped, watching the baby dragon slowly approach her, "He's insufferable and cruel. I had to take a walk to clear my head before I did something else very foolish right there."

Hagrid winced slightly. "Snape's not the easiest to get along with," he agreed, "But he's really a nice guy once ya' get to know him. You should get back to class; ya' don't want to get kicked out of school because of this, do ya'?"

Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. "I suppose not..."

Hagrid smiled and watched as Norbert attempted to nibble on Hermione's finger. "There now!" he said, "No need to worry. Everything'll work out." He gestured to the dragon with amusement. "I see Norbert's takin' a likin' to ya'."

Hermione could resist a giggle when the little dragon attempted to climb up her robes. Its tiny claws tickled her skin and fortunately, wasn't enough to scratch her completely. He would get big, that was for sure. Hagrid scooped up the creature before it could become entangled into her hair. It squealed with protest and the half - giant laughed heartily.

"Boy's got a bit of spirit in him, don't he?" he said, "I reckon he'll be needin' some food." He stood up from his chair and gave Hermione a comforting smile. "And don't worry about a thing, Hermione. Everything's gonna work out. You'll see."

O

Later that evening, Hermione was surprised when she was welcome into the teacher's common room. It was larger than any common room in the entire castle, but that was to be expected. She had never thought that she would be welcome into this room at any point that she'd be here. Even better was the fact that they believed that since she was a member of their staff to a small degree, she was welcome to join them while the students prepared for bed.

"Miss Granger, how has your day fared for you?" McGonagall asked.

Hermione tried to get comfortable in the expensive leather chair. "Well, not so good, Professor McGonagall," she told her, "I've run into some problems during class." And she went on to explain every bit of detail regarding the issues with Snape.

Professor Sprout chuckled softly. "It's good to see that you two are getting along so well."

Hermione grimaced with embarrassment at the laughter from the teachers around her. "I hardly think so." She looked around the room and noticed that he wasn't there. "Where is he anyway?"

Professor Sinistra was sitting across from her and looked up unenthusiastically. "He's walking the halls right now," she told her, "He is probably looking for wandering students, I'd imagine."

Hermione made a face. It was a look that caught Professor Trelawney's eye. She was sipping tea in the corner and reading a book before she looked up at the other woman with intrigue. "Oh! Hermione, dear. Could you come here please?"

Hermione respectfully rose and approached the teacher. "Yes?"

McGonagall sighed impatiently when Trelawney took her hand. "Sybill, please don't pester the poor child with your 'predictions'."

Trelawney gave the head of Gryffindor house a very insulted look before she turned attention to Hermione. "Miss. Granger, I would like to take a look at your palm if you don't mind," she told the other woman, "Please."

Hermione reluctantly stood still as Trelawney took her palm and began to mutter nonsensical words that she could barely even hear. She gave the other teachers a very unsettled look and they just watched Trelawney curiously. Everyone knew that sometimes her predictions were a bit...sketchy and out of place. It was humorous for them to see Hermione in the position that she was in because they didn't believe that anything negative could come out of it.

"Ahh!" Trelawney sighed, in a fascinated voice, "Your aura is good. Very good! There are some shadows though..." Her brow knotted, as if she was confused with something. "Oh...I see a man in your future as well."

Hermione chuckled dryly. "Are you going to say he's tall dark and mysterious?"

She didn't mean to sound as disrespectful as she did, but she couldn't help it. She was all - too familiar with fortune tellers from her parent's stories and from watching television. Most mediums or Muggles who claimed to see the future spoke of this line.

Trelawney knotted her brow, squinting at Hermione's hand as if she couldn't understand it. "Odd... This man is familiar to you. He has two faces..." she murmured, "He's..." Her eyes lit up and a faint smile touched her lips. "Oh! This is interesting..."

Hermione pulled her hand away before she could finish. "Forgive me Professor Trelawney," she told her, "But I must sleep."

Trelawney nodded her head with a small smile. "Ah yes, of course," she said, "Perhaps later then?"

McGonagall made a face at her and Hermione continued to nod respectfully.

"Maybe."

Later that night, Hermione walked to the clock tower and cast Lumos to light her way. The portraits were all asleep and some even snored peacefully. Hermione couldn't resist her quiet laughter. They were happy, free souls.

"Granger..."

The voice startled her so much, Hermione nearly dropped her wand. She whirled and pointed the glowing tip directly into the face of Severus Snape. He winced sharply at the glare somewhat before frowning at her.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

Hermione frowned back. "To sleep, if you don't mind."

Snape tilted his head at her. It took her a moment to realize that he was standing in his night robes. It was difficult to tell the difference between his night and school clothes because they were all black. He must have been on his way to bed as well.

"No. Not tonight," he told her, "Come."

With a flourish, he turned like a night specter and gestured for her to follow. She stood there dumbfounded for several moments. "What?"

"I will show you to a more proper setting," Snape told her, "You won't be sleeping in the cold tonight."

Hermione couldn't believe how nice he was being. "But I thought-"

Snape paused and glared back at her again. "So you're telling me that you're perfectly comfortable in the clock tower after all?"

"No."

"Then follow me and keep quiet if you can."

Hermione reluctantly followed behind the Potion's Master. She lagged behind a bit and followed him as he cast _Lumos_ with his wand. They walked for a while down at least two flights of staircases. She noticed that they were walking toward the Slytherin dungeons and toward his office. That was odd.

"Excuse me, but where are we going?" she asked.

Snape glanced back at her briefly. "I have a storeroom that I am no longer using," he told her, his voice still quite hard, but not as cruel as it had been early that morning, "That will be your room. This way I can be perfectly sure that you are never late again."

Hermione looked surprised. "Uh, thank you!" she said.

He didn't answer, but instead stopped in front of a wooden door labeled "STOREROOM A". Snape raised his wand and the door opened at the silent spell. He stepped to the side and Hermione carefully walked into the room. It wasn't cozy as far as she could tell and had a small bed in the corner, but it beat the drafty clock tower. There were a few covered portraits hanging on the wall and she wondered who they had once been.

"If you need anything, I'll be down the hall," he told her.

Hermione turned to thank him, but he was already gone. Sighing sadly, she immediately plopped herself down into the bed and was surprised to find that it was softer than it looked. The bed was either freshly cleaned or someone had put a softening spell or something on it. Just when she started to relax on the pillow, an aged, male voice piped up, cautious.

"Is he gone?"

Hermione glanced around the room, confused. "Hello?"

Then, a female voice piped up. "Over here, deary!"

Hermione followed the voices toward the clothed portraits and pulled the cloth aside. There were three portraits hanging side - by - side together. One was of a man in slightly outdated wizard clothing and another was a woman wearing dirty, outdoor attire that one would expect a gardener to wear. The third portrait was of a dog that barked happily and began to chase its tail around a small lovely yard backdrop. Hermione had never seen such strange portraits before, especially in Hogwarts.

"Hello, dear!" the woman greeted, smiling sweetly.

"Who are you?" Hermione asked.

The man in the painting gave her a gruff snort. "The name's Burch Higgins," he snapped, "Muggle-Born wizard. Graduate of Hogwarts in 1944."

The woman continued to smile. "I'm Candice Higgins. Pleasure to meet you, sweetie!"

Hermione blinked in surprise. "Those are unusual names," she told them, "Never heard of them before."

Burch chuckled sarcastically. "I reckon I've never heard of Hermione Granger before!"

"Oh. You know about me?" Hermione wasn't sure how to take that.

"Of course," Candice told her, leaning back in an old rocking chair, "Severus told us you'd be coming down here. We were excited to finally have some company, but I think we talked to much for the boy and he covered us up with sheets."

Hermione frowned. "I'm sorry."

Candice smiled brightly. "Worry not for us, child," she told her, "Now we have you to keep us company!"

Burch rolled his eyes with a grumble. "Candice, let the poor girl sleep!" he snapped.

Hermione couldn't resist her giggle. She returned to her bed and sat Indian-style, facing the portraits with intrigue. "Are you married?" she asked.

The two laughed heartily.

"Heavens no, dear!" Candice told her, "We're brother and sister!"

Hermione blushed. "Sorry."

Burch laughed quietly. "Can you imagine if I was married to that?" he muttered, gesturing to the portrait of his sister with dismay.

Hermione leaned down, pulled the sheets over her head and started to relax. Candice smiled down at her and the dog from the other portrait immediately rushed over to her portrait where she proceeded to pet it.

"You've been very brave, Hermione," she told her.

Burch nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, we all think you have."

Hermione shook her head, feeling the sadness creep up on her again. "But I've lost my childhood," she protested, "My dreams..."

Candice smiled at her reassuringly. "Oh cheer up, child. It'll turn out all right in the end. You'll see."

"Besides, you're only as young as you feel," Burch added, "How old do you think I am?"

Hermione giggled, but she didn't want to answer that.

"Sleep tight, dear," Candice told her, "Thing will be better in the morning."

Hermione just wanted to sleep forever.

O

Snape awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of screaming.

It was coming from Hermione's room. He immediately jumped out of bed and ran toward her room. She was moaning and thrashing on the bed with desperate cries of terror. Snape rushed to her side and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her.

"Granger!" he shouted, "Wake up!"

Hermione's eyes flew open and she looked up at the Potion's Master with horror on her face. She quickly sat up and looked around the room for something and Snape frowned, watching as she climbed out of bed and started checking the shadows and the darkness of the closet.

"A...A horrible dream..." Hermione breathed, her voice squeaking out of her.

"A dream?" Snape protested. He groaned and rolled his eyes. "Merlin's sake, witch. I thought you were being tortured!"

Hermione glared at him, her eyes bloodshot. "It was real!"

Snape stood up and started for the door. "Well now that you've wasted more of my precious time, I would like to get back to sleep. Quidditch begins early tomorrow morning and it pits your house against mine."

Hermione looked somewhat hurt. She remained silent as Snape walked away, shutting the door behind him without so much as a second word.

O

The following morning, Harry was about to start his first match of Quidditch against Slytherin. He met up with Hermione at the stands before doing so; he was feeling somewhat nervous about his very first game.

"Harry, are you ready?" she asked.

He grimaced and straightened his Quidditch robes around his neck. "Yeah. I'm just a bit nervous, that's all." he admitted.

"Well don't worry, Harry," she told him with a smile, "You won't mess up. You have had a family of excellent Quidditch players. I know you'll do good."

Harry seemed slightly relieved before he peered over his shoulder for something. Then, he returned his attention to her. "I've heard people talking, Hermione," he told her, "Snape had cornered Quirrell about something. Some of it had to do with you."

"Me?" Hermione didn't like that idea.

"Yeah. They don't think this whole occurrence is normal," Harry continued, "They believe the stone that you wished upon was of a darker source than you've been led to believe."

Hermione looked somewhat concerned. Maybe she should have taken Trelawney's bizarre prediction a bit more seriously.

The sound of a whistle drew their attention back to the Quidditch stadium. She looked back briefly before smiling at Harry, attempting to hide the unease in her voice. "Look, just get out there and give it your best shot," she told him.

Harry smiled back and nodded, somewhat encouraged by her words. He walked out to the field to join his fellow Quidditch players and Hermione walked to the stands to find Ron. Instead, she ran into Trelawney who was taking a sip of hot chocolate.

"Professor Trelawney?" she said, "May I have a word?"

Trelawney was distracted with the field and blinked rapidly, looking up at Hermione with a dazed smile. "Oh! Of course!" she said, sliding down the seats, "Join me for some coco!"

Hermione took a seat beside the other woman and they watched as the broomsticks took off with the Slytherin and Quidditch teams facing one another in the air. Hermione watched Harry for a brief second before she looked at Trelawney.

"Professor, I wanted to know more about what you saw," she told her, "I happened to have a strange dream last night that had something to do with it."

"Really?' Trelawney looked intrigued. "Do tell!"

Hermione opened her lips to speak, but the sounds of horrified shouts in the stands drew her attention out to the Quidditch game. She looked up at the sight of Harry's broom twitching and jerking uncontrollably, throwing the boy two and fro like a scarecrow in the wind. Her eyes widened in horror and she jumped to her feet.

"Harry?" she exclaimed.

The poor boy could barely grip his broom any longer when he was nearly thrown from the thing. Hermione quickly rushed down from the stands and over to the Gryffindor side, keeping her eyes locked on Harry at all times. She bumped into Hagrid and looked at him with shock.

"Do you see it?" she cried, "What's wrong with his broom?"

Hagrid shook his head. "Don't know!"

Hermione looked down at Ron. He was watching Harry with his binoculars. She quickly took the object from him and ignoring his protest, look around to find the source of Harry's jinxed broom. She peered into the stands and noticed that Snape seemed to be chanting something. His lips were moving at a rapid pace and from where she was standing, that alone appeared to be the cause of Harry's broom problems.

"Snape..." she growled, venomously, "Why am I not surprised?" She looked down at Ron. "Ron, Snape's jinxing Harry's broom. I have an idea."

Ron looked uncertain and reluctantly followed the woman. "Come on, Hermione!" he protested.

Hermione quickly darted beneath the stands. She removed her wand from her robes and crept silently behind Snape, aiming her wand at his robes. "_Lacarnum Inflamarae_." she whispered.

A spark of flame ignited the end of her wand and Snape's robes suddenly burst into flame. Hermione immediately crept away while teachers scattered from Snape and shouted at the sight of the flame. He looked down with a sound of disbelief and attempted to stomp out the flames choking his robes. In the chaos, Hermione looked up and noticed that Harry's broom suddenly stopped swaying and he was able to climb back up onto his broom.

Hermione smiled in relief. When she turned around, Filch was standing there. He narrowed his eyes at her. "I saw what you did."

She glared at him. "So?"

"So nothing," Filch snapped. He glanced up at the Quidditch scene and gave Hermione a fleeting, curt look. "Sure the brat's grateful..."

Hermione watched as he walked away with his cat in hand. She heard the sounds of cheering and turned around, seeing Harry kneeling in the grass with the Golden Snitch in his hand. He looked sick to his stomach, but okay. He caught her look and smiled weakly, holding up the Snitch as the crowd chanted, "GRYFFINDOR" over and over again. She smiled at him and waved but her smile darkened when she cast her attention to Snape.

He had tried to kill Harry. She was going to confront him about that.

O

He was in his office.

Hermione burst inside with a shout of anger. "Why?" she bellowed.

Snape looked up sharply from his scrolls with anger in his eyes. "How dare you burst into my office and-"

"Don't give me that!" Hermione interrupted, slapping her hands onto his desk, "Why did you do it?"

Snape's angry, indignant scowl was still there, but this time, his eyes were clouded with confusion. "What are you on about?"

"I saw you out there on the Quidditch field today, Professor," Hermione declared, feeling utterly powerful now that she had busted him out, "You were jinxing Harry's broom! I watched you do it from the stands! You almost killed him!"

Snape's features seemed to darken somewhat before he stood up and rounded the desk to her. "Your theories are adorable at best, but I feel obligated to tell you how wrong you are!" he snapped.

"Then what WERE you doing up there?" Hermione demanded, "Singing a song?"

"None of your concern!" Snape spat, "And should you ever burst into my office again with such outlandish accusations, I suggest you think twice. The next time, I may not be so kind to dismiss you with a simple wave of my hand."

Hermione met his gaze with her own. "I'm not one of your little kids anymore," she challenged, "You can't just brush me off whenever you feel like it."

Snape's eyes narrowed with icy venom as he stared down at her. It seemed that he was attempting to sway her with one of his intimidating stares that he was so fond of. For a long moment, they stood there in his dingy office, staring each other down. Hermione then felt a change in the air, a peculiar change that she wasn't familiar with. It made her shiver slightly, but not from the cold; something else made her tremble while staring at him and she had no idea what it could have been. She watched those black eyes darken further before he finally blinked and frowned.

"This is truly inappropriate behavior," he snapped, "I am not going to stand here having a string contest with you, witch."

Hermione raised her brows. "What else have you got to you with yourself besides jinxing eleven year old boy's brooms?"

Snape glared at her. "Your theories mean nothing to me. Now leave."

Hermione nodded angrily. "Fine, I will," she said, "But I can promise you this; you're up to something. I'll find out what it is eventually."


	4. 4

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the end of the first chapter was borrowed from the film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out.

"The key to change... is to let go of fear."

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Four**

_1992_

Christmas couldn't have come at a better time.

Hermione was relieved to finally be able to go to her parents and catch a break from the madness that involved her change. Her family was going to celebrate with all of her relatives, but this would of course have been difficult to do and explain her situation. She could just think about how she would do it on the way home. Hermione was always able to come up with something.

Ron and Harry couldn't leave Hogwarts.

"Hermione, shouldn't you stay?" Ron suggested, looking around, "I like the thought of having you around to rat out that little brat Malfoy."

She laughed and dragged her suitcase behind her. "Ronald, I can't go around calling on Filch at every turn."

"Why not?" Ron asked, "It's not like he has anything better to do."

Hermione chuckled softly. She couldn't lie about that, but it still felt rather useless regardless. "Yeah, but everyone should be happy on Christmas," she told him, "It's the best time of the year."

Ron made a face, not entirely agreeing with her about giving the caretaker any kind word. Filch was a horrible person and he didn't feel like he deserved anything. He moved to the side as Nearly Headless Nick drifted passed him, whistling a happy tune with four more ghosts tailing behind him. And speak of the devil, Filch was approaching with Miss Norris in hand. He gave the boy and the other woman a dark scowl.

"Gone for the week..." he muttered, "It's not long enough."

Ron withered under his stare, but Hermione just chuckled and nodded her head. "Yeah, I agree," she answered, "I can't get enough of my mother's delicious mint pudding. I could eat that forever."

Filch made a disgusted face in response.

"Don't you have family, Mister Filch?" Hermione asked.

His features flickered with a brief show of warmth for about two seconds before he hardened his resolve once more. "No. And it's none of your business."

Hermione shrugged her shoulders calmly, not taking notice to Snape approaching. "Well it's a shame," she told the older man, "Everyone deserves to have fun on the holidays. It doesn't matter who or what you are."

Filch bristled before turning with a huff at her kind words. Snape almost seemed amused by his uncomfortable expressions. "As touching as that was, Miss. Granger," he began, his deep voice snarky, "Filch isn't worth your time."

Hermione frowned at him. "And it's that kind of attitude that leaves you without any friends."

Snape curled his lip with a sneer and a displeased sound. "Friendship is purely a liability," he told her.

Hermione sighed at the bitter retort. She was too impatient to get home and worry about anything Snape had to say right now. "Well, if you'll excuse me..." she responded, brushing passed him while dragging her suitcase with her.

Snape watched her go with a disgruntled sound.

Later that day, Filch returned to his office with a soft grumble of discontent. Miss Norris trotted at his feet, purring loudly. She moved toward his dust - covered desk and yowled slightly for attention. Filch started to lock his door.

"What is it, my sweet?" he asked, turning.

Filch turned and was surprised to see a brand new cat bed lying on his own. It had a bright red ribbon wrapped around it and inside the bed were several cans of the finest cat food he had ever seen. He walked over to it in amazement and ran his hands over the silky cushion; Miss Norris was happily becoming content with the new object and looked up at him expectantly, pawing the cans of food with a small meow of hunger.

"What the hell?" the man wondered.

He noticed there was a card attached to the gift and grabbed it with his greasy fingers. He opened it and furrowed his brow at the message.

_Mister Filch,_

_I know we don't get along and that's fine. I know you have your problems like everyone else._

_It's not good for anyone to be alone for Christmas, not even a Squib._

_Sorry, didn't mean that._

_I hope Miss Norris like her new cat bed and I hope you like the bottle of peppermint schnapps._

_Merry Christmas,_

_Hermione Granger_

Filch stared at Miss Norris with amazement before a brief smile touched his lips. But then, it was gone again. He immediately opened the bottle of alcohol and opened a fresh can of wet food for his cat, having a small, but happy Christmas for the first time in his life.

O

It was good to see that her mother had gone overboard with decorations.

The entire Granger home was lit up like a Christmas tree itself and there were more wooden reindeer littering the entire yard than there should have been. Hermione was almost embarrassed with her mother's overdoing it, but she had always been like that. Hermione quickly cast a charm to dim the lights down a bit before entering the house. Her father was wearing a goofy Christmas sweater and her mother was in the kitchen wearing one that matched.

"Hermione! You're home!" her mother exclaimed, immediately dropping a plateful of cookies onto the counter and rushing to give her daughter a hug.

"Yeah, but why are you rushing?" Hermione asked, "Christmas isn't for a few more days."

Her mother sighed and returned to the kitchen with Hermione following. "My mother is coming in a few hours and you know how she is about preparation," she explained, "And she doesn't know anything about what happened to you yet, so I want to wait until she gets here."

Hermione bristled where she stood. "Mom, I don't know if that's a good-"

The phone suddenly rang, interrupting her. Her mother immediately ran to retrieve the phone while she gestured to Hermione to the kitchen. "Hermione, make sure the cookies don't burn!" she told her. She paused and frowned sternly back at her. "And no magic!"

Hermione had started to remove her wand and rolled her eyes. "Okay!" she called.

Despite how hot the pan was and how much Hermione wanted to use magic to cool her sore hands, she resorted to running them through the cold water in the sink. She could hear her mother on the phone talking to who she believed was her grandmother.

"Mother... I already called Lance down at the ship yard and they said that he left work early..." her mother muttered, sounding very displeased, "...You know, I really don't appreciate that sort of talk at all. Where do you get off telling me that my only brother-and your only son-is out there getting drunk on the holidays? Besides, the bar was the first place I checked anyway..."

Hermione just chuckled and rolled her eyes. She hadn't seem much of her uncle Lancelot these days and he always got drunk over the holidays because her mother told her that he was a failure. Or at least that's what her grandmother told her to say. Her uncle had come to visit her a few times when she was younger and she always remembered that he would bring her coins and old collectables. Hermione had always enjoyed them.

"Mom?" she said, as her mother joined her in the kitchen, "Why does grandma think that uncle Lancelot is a failure?"

Her mother sighed and shook her head. "Ever since we were kids, Lance has always gotten into trouble, could never hold a steady job and always got into fights," she explained, "Mother could never see that he's got a good heart deep inside."

Hermione stared at her sadly. "Is she going to be upset?"

"I imagine she will be..." her mother replied, giving Hermione an odd, weary look, "You'll have to explain a lot to her."

Hermione grimaced. Just one more thing she had to look forward to.

O

Uncle Lancelot was drunk again.

Hermione spent most of the gathering in her room, trying to figure out how she was going to explain this whole situation. She performed a few charms absently on her room, dimming the lights and brightening them over and over again. When her bedroom door opened, Hermione was so stunned, she gave a cry and the magic in her spell brightened the bulb so much, it abruptly popped, casting the room in darkness once more.

"Hermione?"

Lancelot.

Hermione grimaced and cast _Lumos_ to brighten the room. Her uncle was standing there with a dumbfounded expression on his face. He was a tall fellow with short brown hair that always looked messy, distant sunken gray eyes and scars covering his face from what her grandmother described were from bar fights. He was also wearing his tattered black rain jacket and muddy boots. Hermione always thought he looked like a dirty fisherman.

"Uncle Lancelot, I'm sorry," she stammered.

His gray eyes seemed to flicker with warmth for a moment. "So it's true..."

Hermione tensed under his stare, awaiting a horrible backlash. Instead, Lancelot chuckled softly and shook his head, moving to take a seat across from her at her desk. She watched him silently as he sat there, deep in thought.

"How did it happen?" he asked.

Hermione made an attempt to explain everything to him in detail, but she ended up stumbling in some areas and had to backtrack to correct herself. All the while, Lancelot listened to her silently, surprising her by not going completely mad about it in the way that her parents had done.

"Hermione, where is the rock now?" he asked.

She frowned and shook her head. "It's...with Professor McGonagall. Why?"

Lancelot chuckled dryly and shook his head. "With that old prune, huh?" he muttered, "I bet she told you it was of dark magic, then?"

Hermione's frown intensified. How had he known about that anyway?

Lancelot caught her look and he smiled reassuringly. "Things spread pretty fast at the Cauldron, Hermione."

She looked surprised. "Wait...you mean the Leaky Cauldron?"

No one else in her family had ever engaged in the magical world given the fact that she was Muggle-Born and there were no others of her blood who could do magic.

Right?

"Hermione, I know that my mother has made me out to be a big failure," he continued, sadness in his heavy gray eyes, "I know she thinks so little of me. With good reason, I suppose. She even considered me a failure after I was expelled from Hogwarts."

"Wait..." Hermione said, confused, "You mean to tell me that grandmother knows about the magical world?"

"Of course she does. She always has," Lancelot explained, "She saw fit to keep it from your parents because she wanted them to have a normal, happy life. I was the exception. A rarity, as it were, so my mother was proud. She simply told your mother that I was being sent to a boarding school because of my behavioral problems." He laughed bitterly. "Your mother ate that lie right up."

"So what happened with your expulsion?" Hermione asked.

Lancelot sighed and reached into his jacket, removing a large shiny black stone. He held it out to his niece and Hermione backed away from it with shock. "You have my stone?" she exclaimed, "How in Merlin's name did you - ?"

"It is not your stone, Hermione," Lancelot interrupted, "It is mine."

"You have one too?"

"Yeah."

Hermione shook her head. "But how?"

"I was in my sixth year at Hogwarts," Lancelot explained, "I was going to retrieve my books and supplies in Diagon Alley at the start of the year. I came across a man. A man who claimed that I could have whatever I wanted with a simple stone..."

"Naberius..." Hermione whispered.

"Yes."

"So what happened then?"

Lancelot shrugged his shoulders with a sad sigh. "I took the bait of course. I was arrogant and foolish to do so. I wanted the chance to have everything that I could ever want and more. So I made a wish on the stone. I wanted to be wealthy. And yes, I got my wish. Unfortunately ... the next morning I found that I was unable to do any magic. When they found out that I had tampered with dark forces, they expelled me."

Hermione's eyes widened. "What?"

"The stone itself will grant you your wish ... at the cost of your magic," Lancelot explained, "I traveled to the place where Naberius had taken the stone and pleaded with the owners to change back what I had done. They denied me, of course and told me that this is the cost of my greed."

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "So why has my magic not been taken?"

"Perhaps it is because you never made a wish intentionally," Lancelot pointed out.

Hermione nodded, even though she still seemed shaken. If she lost her magic by any reason, that would utterly destroy her. No Hogwarts. No chance to see Harry or any of her friends ever again. That would kill her.

"I'm sorry for what happened, uncle Lancelot," she told him.

He smiled sadly and pretended as if it didn't bother him. But she could tell just by his body language that it did. "Don't be," he said, "You were lucky. I was a selfish bastard. I deserved every bit of it."

Suddenly, Hermione's grandmother shouted down the hall. "LANCELOT! GET OUT HERE AND HELP YOUR SISTER WITH THE HAM!"

Lancelot flinched at the piercing voice of his mother and glared in the direction that it came from. Hermione couldn't resist her laugh and he gave her a skeptical sigh. "Do you know a spell to make mother's disappear?"

O

After the dinner, everything started to die down and the relatives left for the night. Hermione washed the last remaining dishes and she started wrapping the leftover ham up when she noticed that there was only a little bit left from the meal than when she had checked last. She laughed to herself. It must have been Lancelot again taking off with free food. That was typical of him.

Now that her parents were asleep, it was the perfect opportunity to use magic. She waved her wand and levitated the garbage can toward the back door. She stepped out into the night and deposited the garbage against the side of the house. Hermione started to go back inside until a sound stopped her. She frowned and looked over her shoulder. Through the trees, something moved and she could see a pair of eyes looking back at her.

Hermione raised her wand and pointed it in the direction of the eyes.

Before she could think of casting a spell, a shape emerged from the trees. It was a black dog. No, it was a WOLF. A large black wolf that was bigger than any wolf she had ever seen. Hermione had never seen a wolf, especially in London. This wolf had nothing but thick, sleek fur, a patch of white on its chest and intense dark eyes. It watched her calmly and much to her surprise, wasn't growling at her whatsoever. She had read that wolves were generally shy animals, but this one was approaching a human territory.

"Hello..." she said to the animal, "Are you lost? Hungry?"

The wolf tilted its head at her and pawed the ground slightly before slowly approaching, scenting the air around the woman with interest. Hermione glanced over her shoulder before she waved her wand and the leftover ham emerged behind her. She took it into her hand and bent down, holding the ham out to the wolf. It huffed slightly and took a few steps back, almost as if it was repulsed by the cinnamon smell.

"It's okay," she told the animal, "It's ham."

The wolf sniffed her hand delicately before it opened its jaws and snatched it right up. As it started chewing, Hermione slowly and carefully reached out to touch the wolf's sleek, black fur. It sensed her hand because it looked up and flattened its ears against her head, baring its teeth with a growl of warning. She recoiled her hand from the animal briefly before making another attempt to reach out to it. It snarled again, but this time, watched her hand cautiously and did not pull back.

"It's okay..." Hermione whispered, "I'm not going to hurt you..."

The wolf made a strange sound that resembled a snort and flattened its ears when she touched its soft head. Hermione smiled nervously as she ran her hand down the wolf's sturdy neck and across its back. Its fur was surprisingly soft and almost silky to the touch. Its body was skinny around its stomach and ribcage, but filled with wiry muscle. Maybe it wasn't a wolf but some kind of domestic crossbreed. No animal was this taken care of and wild at the same time. Perhaps he belonged to someone nearby.

"You're fur's soft, big guy," she mused, "Do your owners take good care of you?"

The wolf raised itself onto its haunches and made a deep, rumbling growling sound. Hermione looked up toward the black sky and gestured for the animal to follow. "You can stay with me tonight, okay?" she whispered, "Tomorrow, I take you back to your family."

The animal twitched its head in a bizarre manner that almost looked like it was nodding its head. Hermione's brow knotted. That was more of a human gesture than she realized an animal was capable of doing. She stepped aside and made a calling gesture and the animal immediately trotted inside, its tail almost high. Hermione led the wolf up the stairs and into her bedroom. She immediately transfigured her desk chair into a bed for it and immediately, the wolf climbed into the offering.

"No noises," she said, "If you bark or howl, mother will kill me and I'll have to turn you into a rug."

The wolf looked up at her with a strangely bored expression. Hermione sighed and slowly began to undress. As soon as she did, she was stunned when the wolf immediately turned its head away. It refused to look back at her until she had finished changing into her night clothes.

"Well...aren't you a gentleman..." she said, her voice almost unsteady.

The wolf rested its head down onto the cushion of the bed. Hermione watched the animal for a moment until she slowly drifted off to sleep. As soon as she was in deep sleep, the shadow of the wolf suddenly straightened and stood up, taking the shape of a human. It moved like a dark shadow across the room and stood there at the foot of Hermione's bed, watching the slumbering woman silently before removing a wand and transfiguring the animal bed back into a chair.

Finally, the shape disappeared from the room.

O

Hermione awoke the next morning in a daze. She looked around the room and noticed that the wolf was gone, as well as the bed that she had transfigured. Had it all been a dream? That was ridiculous. There was no way it was just a dream.

"Hermione!" her mother called, "Breakfast!"

Hermione immediately joined her parents downstairs, still thinking about the wolf that she had seen. It couldn't have been a dream. It felt real. The animal felt real. The only way that it could have disappeared was...

Her eyes widened.

It must have been a wizard or witch.

Later that day, she decided to travel back to Hogwarts to talk with Professor McGonagall about what had happened. She was interested in learning if there were any Animagi that she knew of who could shape - shift into a wolf.

"I couldn't tell you, Granger," McGonagall told her, her brow furrowed, "But this is most disturbing news. Were you harmed at all?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, no I wasn't," she told her, "It just arrived in my backyard, ate some ham and then left."

"Hmm..." McGonagall murmured, "That is unusual. If this witch or wizard wanted to harm you, they would have done so while you slept."

Hermione shivered. She really didn't want to know what else they could have done while she slept. She had been foolish to let in a strange animal into her room, but she was lucky that it didn't harm her at all.

"Well, we can add that to the list of foolish things I've done..." she said miserably.

McGonagall stared at her sympathetically. "Now Miss Granger, don't say such things," she chided gently, "You cannot predict that any of this would happen."

Hermione made a bitter sound.

"Now, I must speak with Professor Snape regarding his lesson plans after the holidays," McGonagall told her, standing, "He has been gone for most of the day."

Hermione suddenly looked up at her. "What do you mean?" she asked suspiciously.

"Oh. He left the school yesterday morning to purchase more scrolls and ink for class," McGonagall explained, "He's been gone most of this morning too."

Hermione's lips tightened. That explained everything. "Don't you think it's a little convenient that he's been gone this whole time?"

McGonagall caught her tone and shook her head with dismay. "Now Hermione," she scolded, "I understand he can be rather brash and difficult to get along with, but Severus would never intentionally spy on you like that."

"Why not?" Hermione snapped, clenching her armrests so hard, her fingers began to hurt. "He has it out for me, doesn't he?"

"Certainly not!"

Hermione stood up and gave her teacher a respectable bow. "Forgive me Professor McGonagall, but I have to know for myself."

McGonagall watched her leave the office. "Oh dear..." she said, predicting the worst.

O

Hermione waited most of the morning to see if she could find Snape and catch him in the act. It was still fairly early, so perhaps he would still be in his animal form when he returned. At least, she hoped so anyway.

It took forever and Hermione was getting hungry. She had almost given up on the whole idea until she heard something rustling in the trees. Looking up in surprise, she couldn't believe her luck. There was the wolf, the very same one from last night. It was approaching Hogwarts as if it owned the place. But when it saw her standing there, it froze as if it had received a Stunning Spell. Hermione smiled angrily, realizing that the wolf looked positively guilty right now.

"I knew it," she hissed, removing her wand, "I knew it was you!"

The wolf didn't move, but instead bared its teeth at her and now that it was morning and bright outside, she could definitely see a bit of Snape to this animal. The way it walked, the way it snarled at her whenever she did something to irritate it.

"You have two seconds to change back before I change you back myself!" she warned.

The wolf didn't seem to believe her threat and simply snorted, waving its head to one side as if challenging her to be so bold. Hermione's lips pursed and she tossed a transfiguration spell at the wolf. It gave a furious bark and dodged to the side, missing the spell by inches. It looked up at her with a comical look of almost human shock before it turned and sprinted into the Forbidden Forest. hermione stood there for two seconds in shock before she gave chase.

"Dammit, you bloody coward!" she shouted, pursuing the wolf, "Why can't you just face me like a man?"

The wolf ran faster than she could keep pace and she struggled to keep the animal in sight. After a brief moment of breathless consideration, she raised her wand and finally cast a spell that would definitely let her keep up with him.

She had been practicing with McGonagall and was a little quirky with the spell itself, but if he could do it, she was sure as hell going to prove that she could. She immediately felt the ground beneath her as she shifted into her own Animagus form-a red fox. It felt strange and different to be in this form, but nonetheless not entirely new. She ran on all four paws as fast as they could carry her and leap onto the wolf's back, sinking her teeth into its ear.

The wolf shrieked in pain and went down. It all became a flurry of chaos and limbs as both reverted back to their human forms with Hermione pinning Snape to the grass and her wand pointed at his throat. His ear was bleeding from her attack and his face was bright red with fury.

"You wretched little witch!" he shouted, indignant and angry, "I swear it, you will be-"

Hermione pressed her wand into his throat, speaking venomously. "If you think for one bloody second that I'm wearing my kiddy clothes, you're sadly mistaken!" she spat, "Now I want to know why you came to my house last night!"

Snape sneered up at her. "And why would I tell you?"

Hermione pressed her wand in deeper and he winced slightly. "You owe me." she said, furiously.

Snape stared at her wand briefly before he looked at her. "Dumbledore's orders," he answered, "He wanted me to watch out for you over the holidays."

"Why?" Hermione asked, not really sure that she could believe him.

"Perhaps you should ask him when you see him," Snape said, curtly.

Hermione climbed off of him and watched as he stood up, gingerly attempting to cover up his bleeding ear. He started forward and she followed alongside him. She watched his bleeding ear as the blood gushed between his fingers and she started to feel a little bad.

"I'm sorry about biting your ear," she said, "Maybe that was a bit out of line."

Snape rolled his eyes. "Only a bit?"

Hermione made a face and sighed. They were quiet for a moment, only listening to the sounds of their feet crushing leaves.

"So, your Animagus form is a fox?" Snape said, interrupting the dense silence.

Hermione nodded, snapping her head up at the sound of his voice. "Yes. I was registered a week ago."

Snape made a thoughtful sound in his throat. His voice carried brief amusement. "Perhaps it's fitting for the likes of you," he said, his voice nearly sneering out his words, "For one so cunning, sneaky and devious."

Hermione managed a smile. "Perhaps..."

They walked to the hospital wing where Madam Pomfrey immediately began to tend to his ear. She looked at Hermione as she started to bandage it. "How did this happen?" she asked.

"Um..." Hermione began, trying to come up with a believable story, "A spell gone wrong?"

Pomfrey frowned at her. "It looks like he was bitten by an animal."

Hermione smiled uneasily and Snape arched a brow at her, wondering what kind of lie she would stew up this time. Fortunately for her, she didn't have to. Dumbledore was walking into the wing and when he saw the situation, he raised his brows.

"Severus, what happened to you?" he asked.

Snape gestured to Hermione. "Ask the fox!" he snapped, shooting up.

Hermione looked at Dumbledore with embarrassment. "It was my fault, sir," she said, "I acted very foolishly and attacked Professor Snape. I believed that he was spying on me. I thought that he was simply attempting to get revenge on me for whatever reason."

Dumbledore smiled at her. "Ah, I did send Severus to your home to keep watch for you, Miss Granger," he explained. "You see, the Ministry has heard of your sudden change and expressed concern about it."

Hermione felt like she was in trouble. "But why?" she asked.

"They feel that the magic contained in the stone could cause harm to the other students," Dumbledore informed her, "So they had requested your presence next week."

Hermione was suddenly sick to her stomach. Snape looked at her but said nothing.


	5. 5

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the end of the first chapter was borrowed from the film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out.

"The key to change... is to let go of fear."

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Five**

_1993_

It felt cold.

Hermione couldn't feel her fingers as she sat in a hard wood chair before the Wizengamot, facing nearly fifty council members and their scrutinizing stares. Dumbledore stood at her side and strangely enough, Professor Snape was also with her as well as McGonagall. Cornelius Fudge was sitting at the head seat that looked down at her, making her feel less than significant already. She cast her eyes up reluctantly and spotted several black, wispy shapes moving beneath a magic veil. Not positive what they were, Hermione sensed that they were not friendly.

"Hermione Jean Granger, please step forward," he commanded.

Hermione reluctantly rose from her seat and took a few cautious steps toward the head of the seat.

"You have claimed on several accounts that the dark object that you had purchased from a 'Naberius' causes no harm to yourself or to others," Fudge continued, looking over a piece of parchment in front of him, "However you have not provided any further knowledge of what the stone does, is that correct?"

Hermione nodded weakly. "Yes sir..."

Fudge's gaze hardened. "So how are we to know that this object of black magic holds no further threat?"

Hermione opened her lips to talk, but a voice halted her.

"I have your proof right here!"

Everyone turned and Hermione was shocked to see Lancelot stepping into the courtroom with a strange - looking man at his side. The man was hunched over slightly and was wearing a thick wolf pelt over his shoulders and holding a cane to balance himself. He had bear - skin boots and a black set of robes beneath. His eyes were an unholy blue and when he smiled at her, she noticed that his teeth appeared to look like fangs.

"Who are you?" Fudge demanded.

Dumbledore stepped up now. "I believe that I called him here, Cornelius," he told the man, "He has brought the proof that you need."

The man at Lancelot's side smiled and waved at the cautious watchers. They recoiled slightly, unnerved by his frightening appearance and disturbing smile. Lancelot chuckled quietly and winked at Hermione before he turned attention to the Wizengamot.

"People of the court..." he began, "I can tell you that my niece is not a bad apple. She's guilty of one thing and that's ignorance. She had no idea what she was buying, but Vsevolod here can fill in the details for you. He's the owner of the stones and I gotta warn you; he only speaks Ukrainian."

Fudge frowned down at the man. "Very well...Vsevolod, please enlighten us regarding your object."

Vsevolod cleared his throat and reached into his robes, removing a black wand. He raised it up and suddenly, he began to speak. When he did, all that came out was Ukrainian, but the words were being translated for everyone with a peculiar spell that loomed over his head.

"Серце Беліал (The Heart of Belial)..." he began, "Частини були колись цілого. Коли Беліал був переможений століть тому, він поставив перед нами як опікуна. (The pieces were once whole. When Belial was defeated centuries ago, he tasked us as its guardian)."

Everyone in the room listened with great intrigue.

"So does it cause harm to others?" Fudge demanded.

Vsevolod turned to Lancelot and Hermione watched as her uncle translated Fudge's message for him. Vsevolod nodded his head and looked up at Fudge with an eerie smile. His spell began to translate his next sentence.

"Не для невинних (Not for the innocent)..." he responded with a glance toward Hermione, "Серце дає охоче жадібні ... серце забирає в егоїстичні (The Heart gives willingly to the greedy...the heart takes away from the selfish)."

Fudge scowled. "So why hasn't Miss Granger been afflicted?" he demanded.

"Може бути, серце Беліал в відчув її чистоту. Її невинність (Perhaps Belial's heart sensed her purity. Her innocence)," Vsevolod continued, "Серце ніколи не ясно. Але її кінцеві результати завжди однакові. Це займе від тих, хто приходить з егоїстичних намірів (The Heart is never clear. But its end results are always the same. It will take from those who come with selfish intentions)."

Snape stepped forward. "If I may, Minister," he began, "Perhaps Miss Granger's only true crime as Lancelot Granger has stated is ignorance and pure naivety. I don't believe that she is of any threat to anyone here. Surely you can see that."

This made Hermione shrink in her chair. Not only was she a problem, but she was not even considered a threat? She didn't know whether or not to take that as a compliment or purely an insult. She gave Snape a look and he turned away, watching the Minister with those black, beady eyes. He seemed to have been trying to have a stare - down with the older man in a way that she was familiar with when one of his students would do something that irritated him.

Fudge turned to the Wizengamot. "What say you?" he asked them, "Should Hermione Granger receive punishment for purchase of this dark artifact or shall we set her on her way?"

They watched the council members silently, wondering just what it was that they would decide. Much to Hermione's relief, several wizards and witches raised their thumbs up in a gesture that meant that they approved of letting her go free. A few in the back turned their thumbs down and she wasn't too surprised. There would always be a few rotten apples in the barrel to disagree with anything that happened.

Fudge nodded his head at the results. "Very well..." he said, "This trial is adjourned."

Hermione smiled with relief and immediately rushed to her uncle to throw her arms around him. He chuckled and patted her back. "I thought you'd be needing me Hermione," he told her, "When I told Vsevolod what had happened, he agreed to come here and explain everything."

Hermione stared at the strange wizard. "How'd you get him to come?" she asked.

"Well, Vsevolod and I have an agreement," Lancelot continued, "He's got a bit of a respect for me given my state of affairs and all. He also agreed that a girl as sweet as yourself don't deserve no punishment for what Naberius did to you."

Hermione nodded her head. "How do you say 'thank you' in his language?" she asked.

"Дякуємо." Lancelot answered.

Hermione looked at Vsevolod and attempted to say the word as clearly as she could. The pronunciation sounded a bit off, but Vsevolod seemed to understand what she was trying to say and chuckled softly, nodding his head.

"Нема за що, моя дорога (You're welcome, my dear)," he answered. He paused thoughtfully before tilting his head at her. "Чи можу я запитав, що це таке, що ви бажали? (May I asked what it is that you wished for)?"

Hermione watched the translated Ukrainian before she sighed and looked at Lancelot. "Translate for me," she said. When he nodded, Hermione looked at the other man. "I was upset and angry. I had no intention of wishing for what I did. I even had a bad feeling of having the stone to begin with. That stupid fool tricked me and I let him. I wish I could stop myself from ever doing it, even if I was angry and hurt. I wished that I was bigger and stronger and look what happened!"

After Lancelot translated everything, Vsevolod chuckled softly and shook his head. He looked at Hermione with a strange new light of respect. "Ви яскрава, розумна молода жінка. Я ніколи не стикався з одним з таких, як самого себе. Чесність є досить рідкісним в наші дні, але схоже, що вона не зовсім померла ще ... (You are a bright, intelligent young woman. I have never encountered one such as yourself. Honesty is quite rare these days, but it seems that it hasn't quite died yet...)" he said, "Моє єдине бажання в тому, що це обертається для вас, і ви знайдете щастя, маленька лиса. (My only wish is that this turns around for you and you find happiness, little fox)."

Hermione smiled and nearly blushed at the compliment. "Thank you, sir."

Vsevolod smiled back and gestured to Lancelot. Before he started to go, he looked over his shoulder at Hermione. "Я розумію, що вони судять про нас так погано на нашій зовнішності. Хіба ви не зробити те ж саме ... (I understand that they judge us so poorly by our appearance. Don't you do the same)..."

O

Hermione and the others returned to Hogwarts. On the way, they began to discuss her future plans at the castle, which thankfully did not include her being mistreated in any way. She felt better knowing that any special treatment would merit punishment.

"Oh, Professor Snape," Hermione said, walking up the snowy path toward the gates, "I wanted to thank you for speaking up for me."

"No need to thank me, Granger," he replied, "I did what most would do."

Hermione shook her head, in obvious disbelief. "Right. Like most would have done that..."

Behind them, McGonagall and Dumbledore watched the interaction between the two with intrigue. Hermione started on a conversation about the importance of polite behavior between herself and the Potion's Master and how it might benefit them both if they simply acted professionally around one another. Interestingly enough, Snape was silent the entire time, almost as if he was considering what she was saying.

"They seem to be communicating a little better," McGonagall whispered, "Surely you expect an outburst at any minute?"

"Indeed." Dumbledore agreed, "Hermione is quite the spitfire."

McGonagall looked at him with concern now. "Albus, does this seem wrong to you?" she questioned, "Hermione should have had her magic taken from her, but she didn't. She's a mature young woman now. Something tells me this will not end...properly."

Dumbledore nodded his head. "Minerva, I understand your concern," he replied, "But it is only best if we simply observe these events in silence until she needs our help."

"Of course..." McGonagall said.

Once they returned back to Hogwarts, Hermione was nearly bombarded with questions by Harry and Ron in the great hall. She willingly answered all of their questions and was nearly dizzy with them. Snape watched this with mild disgust.

"Potter, Weasley..." he warned, "Do you wish to send Granger to the hospital wing with your dizzying questions?"

Hermione sighed and looked back at him skeptically. "It's fine."

Snape rolled his eyes and disappeared down the corridors in an inky black smear. Ron and Harry watched him go cautiously before they looked at Hermione with worry.

"Did you get into trouble?" Ron asked.

"No, actually," Hermione answered, "It went rather well."

Harry looked her up and down. "How about Snape's ear?" he asked, gesturing to his own head.

She smiled with embarrassment. "You heard about that?"

"Naturally," Harry answered.

Hermione rolled her eyes good-naturedly before she took a spot on a bench. "Well, I honestly believed that he was spying on me," she replied, "So I...used my Animagus form to attack him when the bloody coward took off."

Ron giggled slightly. "I wish I could have seen that."

Hermione made a face and shook her head. "Wasn't as pleasant for me as you think."

Harry gave her a concerned look. "So it's going to be alright?"

"Yes. Everything'll be fine."

O

The next morning, Hermione had to help Filch shovel snow out of the Quidditch stands. He wouldn't even allow for her to use magic, which only made it that much more difficult for her and not to mention exhausting. Filch just sat on one of the freshly shoveled seats and watched her with those same hard eyes that she remembered leaving him with. Hermione shoveled a giant ball of snow off of the edge of the seats before she looked over her shoulder.

"Did Miss Norris like her gift?" she asked, not daring to look back at him.

Filch furrowed his brow and was quiet before he answered. "Yes. She did."

Hermione smiled to herself, but didn't let him see. "That's good." she said.

Filch sat there for a moment, making several thoughtful sounds before he sighed with a grumble and stood up. He gave Hermione a wave of his hand. "Go on then, you're done here," he snapped, "Get out of here."

She looked at him in surprise. "Really?"

Filch angrily gave her a swift kick to her rear end. "Get going!" he barked.

Hermione immediately dropped her shovel like a hot potato and scampered down the stands and into the field, laughing behind her. Filch watched her go and cracked a very small smile before he placed Miss Norris onto one of the seats and started shoveling.

The witch ran across the snow - covered field and to her Transfiguration class. McGonagall was getting ready to start class when Hermione burst into the room, breathless and covered in snow. This earned a few giggles from the other students.

"Ahh, Miss. Granger," McGonagall said, studying her up and down, "So good of you to join us. I take it Filch requested that you shovel snow without magic again?"

Hermione grinned weakly and shook the snow off of her body, sending bits of it sprinkling down onto Seamus' head. He winced and glared up at her in protest. She quickly uttered an apology and Harry and Ron stifled their giggles. McGonagall shot the boys a stern look before she started her class. Hermione took a spot across the room at a chair where she hurriedly scribbled down notes in a tiny notebook. Harry watched her with pity as she struggled to get down every note that she could.

She was having a hard time, he could tell.

The next class wasn't any easier for her. Snape didn't keep up to his end of the bargain by behaving professionally and pushed her entirely too hard around the classroom. Not only wash she required to do her work, but she also had to be at the beck and call of every student there to help them as well while he graded papers. Hermione was angry the entire time as she rushed around the classroom back and forth, roughly slamming bottles of ingredients down in front of everyone, uttering harshly, "Here" and "take it" over and over.

In the middle of the chaos, she moved back to her own cauldron and attempted to start her own potion in a rush, but her hand quickly reached into the burner and completely forgot that it was lit. Hermione uttered a shriek of pain and grabbed her arm.

"Bloody sod it all to hell!" she shouted, furiously.

Snape arched his brows at the giggles from the rest of the class. "Excellent use of language, Miss Granger," he said, calmly, "Perhaps you can spend the time practicing that sort of curse after class."

Harry looked down at the palm of Hermione's hand and it was already blistering; the skin was horribly red and small welts were beginning to look very sore. He gave Snape a look of dismay and watched as the teacher calmly resumed his grading.

"Sir, she needs to go to the medical wing," he protested.

"She's fine," Snape answered, not looking up from his papers, "A minor burn won't kill her."

Harry frowned now. "You're running her too hard!"

Snape glared up at him now. "I will decide what goes on here, Potter," he warned, "Keep it up with your back talk and I will have no problem with giving you detention."

"Sir, that isn't fair!" Hermione snapped, wincing from her burn in the process; she struggled to maintain a calm expression, even though she was in pain, "Don't take your anger out on them when they did nothing wrong!"

"Hermione, just don't..." Ron whispered, with warning.

Snape gave a particularly unkind smile before he resumed his work. After a moment, he stood up and began to prowl around the room to give reports on every student and their potions that they finished. He occasionally glanced back at Hermione as she struggled to continue with her work while dealing with a burned hand. Harry caught his look and frowned somewhat, daring to think that perhaps Snape was concerned.

After class had departed, Hermione remained behind and Snape waited at his desk, watching her like a hawk while she slowly finished her potion. She winced and carried the bottle of her brew to his desk and placed it in front of him for him to grade. He gave her a look before reaching out and taking the bottle. He popped the cork off of the top and gave it a quick inspection before he looked down at her burned hand.

"How is your hand?" he asked.

Hermione attempted to put on as strong of an expression as possible. "Fine. It's fine, sir."

Snape reached out his own hand and she reluctantly held out her wounded hand for him to take. He surveyed the blistered skin before he held out his wand and pointed it at the burn, uttering a soft spell that she had never heard of before. Much to her surprise, the blisters began to fade and the wicked burn slowly started to vanish beneath her skin as if it didn't even exist in the first place. Hermione stared down at her hand in amazement and flexed it a few times before she looked at Snape.

"Uh, thank you," she told him.

Snape stood up from his desk. "Miss. Granger, I want you to understand; know this well...I am not one to place any of my students on a pedestal above the rest and that includes you. Do not expect that because of your change of age that I would treat you any different. In my eyes, you are still as naive and young. Now, you are simply a young woman. Nothing has changed."

Hermione grimaced where she stood and he could see a change of color to her face. She seemed embarrassed, but most of all, angry. She forced herself to swallow a horrible retort. "I don't expect much these days, sir."

Snape's brow knotted. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I expected you to be more than this," Hermione said, and much to his shock there was no anger now, only...disappointment and resentment, "I thought that things would indeed change if you'd seen what I went through. I don't like being wrong, sir, but I'll admit when I am."

Snape smiled with a bit of mocking to it. "So, that upsets you then?"

"No," Hermione said, giving him a look that was neither sad nor angry, "Just disappointed."

"Hm," Snape murmured, unscathed by the sadness in her voice, "Well then, be off with you."

Hermione gave him a respectable bow before leaving the classroom. As soon as she was gone, Snape watched the doorway and his features sagged with frustration. He covered his face with one hand and sighed heavily.

O

Hermione sat alone in the teacher's lounge, surrounded by fluttering blue birds that she had created with the use of _Avifors_. They chirped happily at her and attempted to comfort her with their songs, but she still sat there miserably. Just then, Gilderoy Lockhart stepped into the lounge with a cheerful grin on his face. Hermione smiled slightly when she saw him, no less relieved to see the face of a much more pleasant man.

"Professor Lockhart!" she exclaimed, her magic causing the birds to pop around her like balloons.

Lockhart smiled at her. "Ah! Miss. Granger!" he said, walking over and kissing her hand gently, "Still as lovely as ever I see!"

Hermione couldn't resist her blush. "Thank you."

Lockhart held up one of his books entitled Magical Me. Hermione took it without question. "Perhaps a read of my book might bring up that sour face!" he told her, with a rather arrogant grin, "I have been told that it could liven the dead!"

Hermione chuckled. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to smile for a change."

Lockhart smiled and nodded. "There you are!" he told her, "Now then, perhaps you can put on a smile for my class?"

She nodded her head and glanced at the corner of her eyes when she saw Snape walking into the lounge. When he saw Lockhart standing there, his features turned sour, almost as if he had tasted something quite foul.

"Lockhart," Snape said, "Shouldn't you be in class right now?"

Lockhart turned and gave Snape a somewhat sheepish smile. "Ah yes, thank you Professor Snape!" he replied, a bit too energetically, "I was just on my way there now!"

Hermione gave Snape a cold look as soon as Lockhart left the lounge in a hurry. "That wasn't very nice," she snapped, "He was only trying to cheer me up."

"By shoving his foolish trash into your hands?" Snape retorted, taking the book from her, "Believe me, Miss Granger; he's nothing but an insipid fraud and you would do well not to take anything he says literally."

Hermione snatched the book from his hands. "This little tirade does come off as your being jealous of all that he has accomplished!"

Snape curled his nose at that. "Do not bore me with such lies, Granger," he snapped, "That man is a walking lie with horrendous clothes and a bubble-headed attitude. If you cannot see that yet, then I regrettably commend you further on your overabundant ignorance."

Hermione scowled at him. "You know...One day you'll end up all alone," she said, lowly, "And you'll have no one to blame but yourself."

Snape gave her a bored look. "Finished?"

Hermione scoffed and stormed from the lounge to go to her Defense Against the Dark Arts class, leaving the teacher alone once more. She joined her friends in class.

O

She was furious at him.

Later that day after the chaos that had transpired in Lockhart's class, Hermione took a stroll through the fields in her Animagus form to catch a bit of a break from the chaos. It gave her some peace and quiet and time to think. The snow felt cool on her paws and she could resist the urge to trounce around through the snow. She felt so energetic and free in her Animagus form and for a split second, she actually forgot her troubles. Until a soft growling sound halted her.

Hermione poked her head up from the snow and noticed Snape standing there in his wolf form, staring down at her with that hard, irritated expression that he was so famous for.

She pricked her ears up and gave him the most annoyed bark she could muster. Snape snorted and recoiled briefly at the sound before raising his head and bristling his fur, attempting to look larger than she ever could being a fox Animagus.

Hermione wasn't impressed. She twitched her tail at him and raised her ears as high as they could go and she fluffed out her fur, making herself look bigger as well. The action and her appearance made her look too comical for words however.

Snape bared his teeth and growled at her, obviously bored with the interaction. She was curious as to why he was out here during lunch, but didn't want to ask. She wanted to see exactly what he would do now. The black wolf simply made a sound that resembled a sigh and trotted off. Hermione curiously tailed behind him. When she did, Snape stopped and looked over his shoulder, growling with warning; he didn't want to be followed.

She stopped and sat down in the snow, tilting her head at him curiously. Then, she started to preen herself.

Satisfied, the wolf continued. As soon as he did, she resumed following. She did this ever time he stopped to glare back at her and continued on. Finally, Snape gave up on the idea of attempting to frighten her and continued on with the young fox behind him. He approached the Lagoon and took a spot at the edge of the frozen water, simply stopping to sit there and watch the sun starting to set. Hermione watched the wolf with curiosity and then cast her attention out to the darkening sky.

Interesting. Maybe he too needed some time alone and she had just gotten in the way. She looked down at the wolf and made a low sound that she attempted to muster into the form of a growl. Snape ignored her, but did respond with a growl of his own. It was downright silly staying in animal form like this; but perhaps they were both too uncertain of each other to talk as human beings. Hermione wasn't sure why, but she felt odd being here like this. Not as an animal, but alone with him when the air began to feel undoubtedly strange between them.

Hermione decided it was best to leave him. When she turned to go, he actually growled at her again, though this time, it was much louder and sounded like he was trying to snarl at the same time, but was holding it back. She looked back at him and he gave her a look before flicking his head to one side, indicating that she should stay. The fox bristled where she stood, but nonetheless, took a spot beside him and rested in the snow.

The sun was beautiful; she never expected a man like Snape to be touched by this sort of thing. Though maybe it wasn't the sun that he was interested in but the peace and quiet. She could actually feel his tail against hers and it made her feel undoubtedly warm. But it was a strange warmth that she never expected to feel. She didn't know what kind of name to give this feeling.

And she didn't like it.

She immediately turned and ran back toward Hogwarts with Snape watching her as she left. Hermione took on human form and ran back to her room, not even stopping to look back at concerned faces and immediately jumped into her bed. Candice and Burch were sound asleep in their portraits. Hermione attempted to sleep as well, but the sound of a wolf howling kept her from doing just that.


	6. 6

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the end of the first chapter was borrowed from the film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out.

"The key to change... is to let go of fear."

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Six**

_1993_

"Hermione, you look terrible!"

Hermione wasn't aware of the horrible bags under her eyes until Ron brought it up. She stared at him skeptically from underneath her hair. "Yes, thank you for that assessment Ronald," she muttered, "Girls just LOVE to hear that in the morning."

Ron stared at her sheepishly. "Sorry."

Hermione rolled her eyes and watched as Harry started eating. She attempted to eat a little breakfast as well and tried to take down a muffin, but she just couldn't do it. Something strange happened out there in that field. She didn't know what it was exactly, but it felt like she had been zapped by a magic that left her heart racing like a wild drum. Instead, she was going to avoid him for today. Perhaps find a way to sooth herself from the awkward feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Boys, can you tell Professor Snape that I was suddenly stricken with Lumbago and cannot report for class," she told them.

They looked stunned. Hermione NEVER intentionally ditched classes. Something must have been very wrong for her to do such a thing.

"Hermione, why would you lie?" Harry asked, stunned. He studied her sick features for a moment, and then added seriously. "Did something happen?"

Hermione looked up and spotted Snape and the other teachers at the teacher's table; Snape was talking with McGonagall and didn't seem to notice her. Hermione wondered if he felt odd about the encounter also. He had to. It was just too strange for something like that to happen. So why had she let it happen? Why had she followed him in that field? Hermione couldn't have ever resisted curiosity and he always did come off as suspicious. But if he was up to ill-will, he would have tried to stop her right there.

Just then, without warning, Snape looked right at her. His black eyes felt like an _Incendio_ spell shot right at her, though instead of being burned alive, she felt the burn growing within her stomach rather than around her. He just stared at her as he talked to McGonagall and she at him. She felt a strange sensation and she may as well have been sitting there naked the way that he was watching her. Hermione wanted to look away, but instead, she continued to watch him for what seemed like forever until Harry's voice broke her gaze.

"Hermione. Hermione!"

She blinked and looked at him in surprise. "What?" she asked.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, staring at her with worry.

Hermione smiled weakly and stood up. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she told him, "I just have to...go."

Snape looked up at the sight of Hermione leaving the Great Hall. He cracked a small smile on his face before resuming his attention to the older teacher.

Though he still watched the direction that Hermione went.

She disappeared into the bathroom and hid herself in one of the stalls, taking a moment to clear her head and her racing heart. After a long moment of silence, a strange giggle filled the air. Hermione looked up warily at the sound.

"Oh! Why are you in here hiding?"

Hermione furrowed her brow and looked down into the toilet at a transparent, ghostly head of a teenage girl staring up at her. She was wearing glasses on her face and had her hair tied up into almost cute ponytails. Hermione gave a cry of surprise and staggered out of the stall, watching as the ghost drifted up with an eerie, childish laugh. The ghost appeared to be wearing Ravenclaw robes and seemed amused at her awkward behavior.

"Silly girl!" the ghost continued, "I know why you're in here!"

Hermione blinked rapidly. "I know you. You're Moaning Myrtle."

Myrtle laughed heartily, almost amused by her unease. "And I know you..." she said, swooping up to Hermione, circling her like a vulture, "Sweaty palms, prickling hair on the back of your neck, racing heartbeat..."

Hermione tensed and scowled at her. "What are you on about?" she snapped.

Myrtle giggled again and passed through her, moving toward the stained window and taking a spot to rest there. "It's quite simple, really," she replied, "You have a nasty little crush on someone, don't you, girl?"

Hermione laughed angrily, though she felt her cheeks grow hot. "A crush?" she repeated, "I do not!"

Myrtle snickered at her and shrugged a shoulder. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, silly girl. I once had a crush on someone too, you know." She giggled comically, as if it was something so amusing.

Hermione frowned. "And what happened?"

"I died." Myrtle answered.

O

It was beginning to grow dark, so Hermione walked down the corridors to find Harry and Ron. Ron was tailing behind Harry, desperately trying to get the boy to stop. Hermione frowned and walked up to them.

"Harry, Ron," she said, "I need to-"

Harry whirled on her and held up a finger. "Listen!" he interrupted, "Did you hear it?"

Ron and Hermione looked confused. "Hear what?" Ron asked.

"That voice." the other boy answered.

Hermione squinted at him. The corridor was empty as far as she could tell and she could not hear a single peep out of anything from any specific source whatsoever. "Voice? What voice?"

Harry looked at her, desperately hoping that she'd believe him. "I heard while I was in Lockhart's office and then just-" He suddenly snapped forward and Hermione and Ron pursued him. He shouted back at the two. "It's going to kill!"

"Kill?" Ron exclaimed.

"Harry, wait!" Hermione shouted, "Don't run so fast!"

Harry led Ron and Hermione down the halls for practically several minutes before he stopped. He started forward again and stared down at his shoes. The entire corridor itself seemed to be flooded, though only a small inch of water. Hermione looked around worriedly and she followed Harry's gaze toward the wall. There were at least several spiders scurrying in a peculiar straight line toward an open window, as if they were desperate to get away from something.

"Strange," Harry said, "I've never seen any kind of spider act like that."

Ron whimpered with terror. "I don't like spiders!" He turned away from then and his horror immediately replaced itself with confusion. "Harry, look. What's that?"

They turned and noticed that the wall behind them had been scrawled all over with writing in blood. Hermione walked up to it and read the message aloud. " 'The Chamber of Secrets has been opened...enemies of the heir beware'." She reached out and touched the freshly-made warning on the wall and looked back at the two boys uneasily. When they caught her look, they too looked terrified. "It's blood."

Harry's eyes followed the writing until he saw something that made his voice come out smaller than before. "Oh no..." he gasped, "It's Filch's cat. It's Miss Norris...Look at her. She's...not moving."

Ron and Hermione looked up at the sight of a frozen, stock-still Miss Norris hanging from a torch post, her mouth open in a frozen mask of terror. Just then, the three watched as several crowds of students began to pour into the corridor. They muttered with confusion at the sight of the written message in blood and the frozen cat. Several teachers began to move in as well, attempting to see what the commotion was. Madam Pomfrey was one of them. She gasped in shock.

Draco was among the crowd and read the last message out loud. " 'Enemies of the heir beware'?" he read. He gave Hermione a cold look. "You'll be next then, won't you? Filthy Mud-Bloods!"

Through the crowd, Filch pushed his way, angrily cursing at them. "What's going on here?" he groused, "Go on, make way. Make way." His eyes landed on Harry accusingly. "It's you, Potter - What are you..." He cut himself off at the sight of seeing Miss Norris hanging there by her tail, seemingly lifeless and cold. His eyes flickered with horror. "M-Miss Norris?" The horror was replaced with deep set rage and he turned it all to Harry. "You...You've killed my cat!"

Harry shook his head. "No, I didn't!" he insisted, "No!"

Filch advanced on him and grabbed him by the scruff of his robes. "I'll kill you for that, you little-!"

Hermione attempted to peel the older man off of Harry and luckily, Dumbledore's voice ensured that. "Argus!" he called, turning around the corner with several other teachers behind him. "Argus, I..." He stopped when he saw the message and Hermione caught a faint glimmer of shock on his face before he turned to the students and spoke perfectly calm. "Everyone will return to their dormitories immediately." When everyone started to leave, Dumbledore raised his hand to Hermione, Ron and Harry. "Everyone except...you three."

They froze in place. Hermione couldn't help but feel pity for Filch as he silently started to sob for his cat. Dumbledore looked at him gently. "She's not dead, Argus," he assured the man, "She has been Petrified."

Lockhart smiled with pride and walked up to the cat, studying her briefly. "Ah, well I thought that just the same. It's a shame I couldn't have been there. I know exactly the counter curse that could have spared her."

The other teachers including Filch gave him looks that read, "not a good time for this". Snape looked rather disgusted as always.

"But how she has been Petrified, I cannot say for sure..." Dumbledore said.

Filch jabbed a finger in Harry's direction. "Ask him. It's that boy who's gone and done it. You saw what he wrote on the wall."

Harry looked at Dumbledore pleadingly. "It's not true sir, I swear it. I never even touched Miss Norris."

"Rubbish!" Filch spat.

Hermione looked at him in protest and gave Snape a glare. He frowned at her look before turning to Dumbledore. "If I may then, headmaster? Perhaps Potter and his friends were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time." This received shocked looks from the two boys and a strange smile from Hermione. Snape returned to his glare now. "However, the circumstances are suspicious. I, for one, don't recall seeing Potter at dinner."

Lockhart smiled at him. "I'm afraid I can answer that, Severus. You see, Harry was helping me answer my fan mail in my office."

Snape curled his lip in disgust at that, obviously not interested in hearing more about Lockhart's tests of arrogance.

"That's why Ron and I went looking for him, Professor," Hermione told him, scheming up a lie as quick as possible, "We'd just found him when he said..."

Snape arched a brow at her. "Yes, Miss Granger?"

Harry finished the sentence. "When I said I wasn't hungry. We were heading back to the common room when we found Miss Norris."

Dumbledore smiled and nodded. "Innocent until proven guilty, Severus."

Filch however wasn't swayed. "My cat has been Petrified," he spat, "I wanna see some punishment!"

Dumbledore gave him a reassuring smile. "We will be able to cure her eventually, Argus," he promised him, "As I understand it, Madame Sprout has a very healthy growth of Mandrakes in her greenhouse. When matured, a potion will be made which will revive Miss Norris. And in the meantime, I strongly recommend caution...to all."

O

Hermione thanked McGonagall for the knowledge regarding the Chamber earlier the next day and decided to find Ron and Harry to tell them about what she had heard. She pushed through crowds of students and was actually thankful for being taller than most of them so that she could see the two boys waiting for her near the boy's bathroom.

"Do you think it's true? Do you think that there really is a Chamber of Secrets in Hogwarts?" Ron asked, as they started walking.

"Yes. I had a talk with her in the lounge. McGonagall's worried about it. All the teachers are." Hermione answered. "And when the teachers are worried, then there is a cause for concern for the rest of us."

"Well, if there really is a Chamber of Secrets, and it really has been opened, then that means there's someone who's killing Muggle-Borns." Harry began.

Hermione nodded. "The Heir of Slytherin has returned to Hogwarts. The question is, who is it?"

Ron snorted and pretended to think. "I don't think we need to give it a lot of thought of who the heir might be, Hermione."

Hermione made a face. She knew exactly who he was thinking of and honestly felt that there was no real proof linking the crimes to the Slytherin boy, even if he was a little brat. "Draco? Come now, Ronald. It can't possibly be him. He's a jerk, but he's not-"

Ron shook his head insistently. "Of course. You heard him! 'You'll be next Mud - Bloods'."

"I heard him clear as day, Ronald; I was there. But really now... Malfoy, the Heir of Slytherin?" Hermione really couldn't add it up.

"Well, maybe Ron's right, Hermione," Harry pointed out.

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "Well, let's talk about it later. I have an idea, but it would involve breaking so many school rules," she told them, "The Dueling Club starts in another hour anyway. We don't want to miss that."

Ron and Harry looked at each other with disgust. "We don't?" they said.

They walked to the Great Hall where Lockhart had set up two large tables into the form of a dueling arena. The club's members sat around the table as Lockhart stood before them, smiling rather proudly at his audience. Most of the students looked thrilled to be there, but not all of them.

"Welcome students!" he announced, "For all of those who have come here, surely you are aware that Dumbledore has requested I start this club to help teach you to defend yourself against the forces of evil! You can read about my conquests in my new published works!"

Harry rolled his eyes and Ron grimaced with disgust. Lockhart gestured across the arena to Snape who was already stepping up to join him. "Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape. He has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration. None of you be concerned. No harm will come to him!"

Hermione frowned at the professor with confusion. She gave him a look that clearly said, "what are you up to?" Snape caught her look and she somehow spotted a very bizarre, predatory gleam in his eye that she was certain meant doom for Lockhart. The two professors raised their wands, bowed respectfully to one another and started to march with their backs apart, almost like a parody of a cowboy film. Then, they turned around and raised their wands.

"One, two, three-" Lockhart began.

Snape didn't even wait for his cue. "_Expelliarmus_!" he bellowed.

A burst of light shot out from Snape's wand and struck Lockhart hard in the chest, sending him flying at least several feet back and landing hard on his side. Hermione and the class winced at the sight and she shot Snape a stunned look. He just smiled smugly as Lockhart struggled to stand, shaking off the dazed sensation in his body from the powerful blow. Something told her that he took every bit of pleasure in that.

"Professor Lockhart, are you alright?" Hermione asked.

Lockhart gave her a rather sheepish smile and nodded. "Never fear, my precious fox!" he told her, "That cannot bring me-"

Snape's wand shot out another blast and it sent Lockhart flying back a second time, though he almost completely fell off of the arena if it wasn't for the chairs. This blast seemed much more stronger and he could have sworn that it was intentional. He struggled to stand and gave Snape a look of wounded pride, though his voice was still as bold and brash as ever. Harry however had seen something change with Snape's second attack. For one thing, the professor had a look in his eye that flickered with fire just before he shot out that spell. Harry wasn't too sure exactly, but he didn't seem very thrilled with Lockhart referring to Hermione as a "fox".

"An excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape," he told the other man, "preparing for anything that comes their way. I must say...Good show! Never let your guard down, that was smart of you!"

Snape stared at him darkly. "Perhaps it would be prudent to first teach the students to block unfriendly spells, Professor."

O

Hermione gathered as many books as she could. Madam Pince didn't seem very thrilled with her carrying so many books to a table. She had made several piles nearly formed an enormous tower on the table that swayed slightly. The librarian watched her with a pained, frustrated expression. Hermione wanted to study in peace and didn't want any trouble, even if it meant kissing up to the librarian if she had to. So be it.

"Madam Pince, I can assure you that no harm will come to these books," Hermione promised, "And if you'd like, I will gladly put back every single one of them including those that the others failed to put back in their proper place."

Pince seemed satisfied to a lesser extent. "Very well," she replied, "You will not be checking all of them out, I trust?"

Hermione laughed. "Of course not!"

Pince nodded with a glimmer of relief before she walked away, leaving Hermione to her studies. She was starting to open the book entitled Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them when she heard Pince talking with another teacher.

"She's there causing a mess of my library..." she heard Pince finish.

That was gratitude for you. Hermione hardly made a "mess" of anything. She ignored Pince and the person who walked up to her because from the corner of her eye, she could see all - black robes and knew exactly who it was.

"Is there something you need...sir?" she asked, particularly curtly.

"There is," Snape replied, "I want to know where Potter is hiding."

Hermione didn't look up at him. "The Gryffindor common room," she answered, "He's upset about what's happened and just wants to be left alone right now."

Snape chuckled curtly. "As he properly should."

Hermione angrily stood up and glared at the teacher. "Why must you do that all the time?" she demanded.

"What?" Snape asked.

"Call him names every chance you get," Hermione snapped, "Run him down all the time when he is anything but that nasty little brat Draco you fawn over so much! Are you truly so cruel that you cannot see the goodness in anyone?" He opened his mouth to answer, but she held up a finger. "I'm not finished! Let's not forget that little stunt you pulled in the Dueling Club today!"

Snape took a deep breath, his chest swelling. His features were stone hard with fury. "What...stunt?" he asked, slowly and harshly.

"With Lockhart!" Hermione nearly shouted, "It's not enough that you bully children for your own twisted pleasure, but do you really delight in doing so to a grown man as well?" She was silent and dropped her hands at her side. Her features suddenly turned pained. "Why? I don't understand it. Explain it to me. Dumb it down if you must, but please, give me some explanation as to why you do this to people!"

Snape looked her up and down, collecting his thoughts before he responded. His voice was no longer hard, but instead, calm and quiet.

"I assure you, Miss Granger that what I do I do for the better of these children," he told her, "Do you honestly think any one of them are above the rules? I favor young Draco because unlike that boy, you and your little friends believe that you are above the rules and above the guidelines of this school so you must be taught more so than the rest."

"I never said that I was!" Hermione spat now.

She looked like she was ready to explode at any second. Why she felt so frustrated with him she didn't know. It wasn't any different than before, but instead, the frustration and anger felt stronger than it ever had when she was a child. Snape just stared back at her, almost intrigued with her angry expression, flared nostrils and burning eyes. After a moment of staring each other down, she turned and looked down at her books.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my studies," she finally said. She took a spot back in her chair and sighed with irritation when Snape sat down across from her. "And you judge me for being persistent?"

"I am not persistent, Granger," Snape told her-she could feel his eyes burning into her, "I also wanted to talk with you about the moment at the Lagoon."

Here it comes. And she hadn't even prepared for this either.

"There was no moment, Professor Snape," Hermione told him, paging through her book, pretending as if nothing was wrong, "I am sorry if there was some confusion, but nothing happened. You simply..." She immediately cut herself off.

Snape stared at her curiously, raising his brows in a very interested look. "I simply, what?" he asked.

Hermione chuckled nervously and shook her head. "Nothing, it's nothing."

"Nothing." Snape reiterated, not thoroughly impressed.

"That's right. Nothing."

"Hm." Snape stood up and started to go, but not before looking back at her. "Study well then, Miss Granger."

She couldn't tell if his voice was mocking or not, but she was glad for one thing;

Her heart had stopped pounding.

O

It was getting late.

Hermione was so tired and she had literally scoured through every book on the table, trying to figure out what it was that could have lurked inside the Chamber of Secrets and was petrifying the students as well as Miss Norris.

"Bloody hell, this is..." she began, rubbing her eyes. Something snapped off to the side and Hermione looked over her shoulder. "Hello? Madam Pince?"

Hermione stood up and could still hear the sound again, only it was coming from Madam Pince's office. She slowly walked up to the door and pushed it open. She looked inside and suddenly, gave a sharp cry of horror, her hand going to her mouth. Madam Pince was lying on the floor, frozen and immobile like a statue; her mouth was locked open in a permanent scream of fright and her hand was clutching a hand mirror. Hermione bent down to her and took the mirror from her hand.

Something moved to the side and Hermione looked to the right, spotting something slithering its way through Madam Pince's toilet and out of sight. Her eyes widened. So that was it then. Whatever was petrifying those at Hogwarts was doing so through the pipes.

Hermione frantically started to scribble this on a piece of paper when something hissed sharply behind her. She moaned quietly and felt hot, stinking breath on the back of her neck. A slippery, forked tongue tickled her ear and she slowly, shakily lifted her mirror to see her attacker.

When she did, something flashed and her whole world went white hot.


	7. 7

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the end of the first chapter was borrowed from the film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out.

"The key to change... is to let go of fear."

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Seven**

_1993_

_"I warn you, this will come as a bit of a shock to you."_

_"Hermione!"_

_"She was found near the Library, along with this. Does it mean anything to either of you?"_

Hermione could barely hear the voices of Ron, McGonagall and Harry. They sounded so far away and she could barely see through clouds of murky gray and red. She knew for a fact that she couldn't move and the only thing she remembered was seeing bright yellow eyes and then...nothing. Was she technically supposed to be able to think even though she was petrified? Was that possible? Either way, it was happening.

_"Hermione, I'm sorry..."_

She felt terrible hearing Harry's voice like that. He shouldn't have had to worry about her while that giant thing was moving through the pipes petrifying everyone. She only hoped that he would find the paper she could barely feel still in her frozen hand. Hermione hated being this helpless. She hated every bit of it. She wished that they didn't leave her like this; the only company were other petrified students.

And then, someone else stepped into the medical wing. She could see a smoky shape of white and yellow and could hear the voice of Lockhart. There was also an all-black smoky shape beside him as well. Oh that was spectacular...Snape and Lockhart. They were probably going to fight once more in the medical wing. No one else would be able to do anything about it either seeing since Madam Pomfrey was not there.

_"Poor girl!"_ Lockhart said, _"She is so unlucky that I wasn't there! I could have helped!"_

_"With what, may I ask?"_ Snape said, particularly unkind.

Lockhart's voice trembled slightly and Hermione had to guess that Snape was giving him one of his infamous stares. She could barely see the white and yellow shape that was Lockhart disappear and noticed that Snape still lingered. Why was he just standing there? Was he thinking of a way to make fun of her again? It wasn't enough to knock someone down, but to kick them when they were down? Hermione wanted to do more than just kick.

The black shape seemed to bend and twist and she noticed that he had taken a chair and pulled it up so that he could sit beside her. She was a little bemused by this action. Maybe he didn't know that she could still hear and see him to a lesser degree.

_"Gods help me,"_ he said, his voice oddly low, _"I only thank Merlin that you cannot hear any of this."_

_Well, that's what you think,_ the woman thought.

_"You did not deserve any of this, Hermione,"_ he continued, startling her with using her first name for the very first time, _"It is a pity that one such as yourself always receives this kind of treatment. Is it a cruel act of fate that you suffer like this? I believe so. I cannot fathom why you would be punished like this. Who could dream of it?"_

Hermione was amazed with his words. She was seeing a new side of her professor that she never thought she would ever see. She barely felt a strange brush against her forehead, as if he was moving her hair aside.

_"I regret many things, Hermione Granger. So many terrible sins I have committed,"_ he sighed, _"One of my most recent sins I cannot forgive myself for is making every attempt to see to it that you never speak in my class."_ He laughed sarcastically, as if he was ashamed of his own bared feelings. _"You...who started out as such a child. You...who became this magnificent woman before me...You who have come to fill my heart with peace for the first time in many years."_

Hermione felt an ache fill her chest. She wanted to reach out and hold him but also kick herself for such an improper thought. He was her teacher! How could she even feel such things as pity and emotion for him. She would have said that he should chastise himself for these things as well, but it wasn't just the petrification that stopped her. Even if she could move, she wouldn't have stopped him. Then again, this was Snape letting his guard down and not even thinking that she could hear him. He would never admit to this if he knew that she was capable of hearing him.

There was another sarcastic laugh and there was more bitterness to it. _"How foolish am I?"_ he muttered, going back into his reserved shell once again, _"Fancying one of my students. I have truly sunken lower than ever. Pathetic..."_

Hermione wanted to tell him that there was nothing wrong with these feelings, even if she felt a brief uneasy about them.

_"Well..."_ She could hear him standing. _"I'm certain that you'd simply give me one of your famous speeches of how wrong I am anyway."_

Hermione had never seen this side of him. It was both fantastic and frightening all at once. So she had been wrong after all about how he had no feelings, but she had been wrong this whole time in thinking that he had none for her. That was obvious. But really. Could she picture herself with a man like him? A dark, brooding, depressing man like Severus Snape? She wasn't sure. She was just still too stunned by this new revelation.

O

Really, could she sleep?

Hermione wasn't sure how one petrified could sleep let alone relax with Snape sitting there in his chair that night, obviously immobile and asleep himself. He had sat there the entire night just watching out for her. She couldn't fathom him doing such a thing since the entire time that she had known him. Why would he deliberately do something like waiting for her? It was ridiculous.

Just then, she could hear Dumbledore's voice. _"Severus? Severus, wake up."_

_"Hm? Oh! Albus, what is it?"_

A soft, gentle chuckle. _"Have you been here all night?"_

_"No. I have not."_

Hermione wanted to laugh at Snape's embarrassed retort. He was back to his old self again. Maybe she had just been dreaming or it was a result of the petrification from that snake - like creature that had stared her down.

_"Severus, you don't have to watch out for her,"_ Dumbledore told him, _"Pomona's potion is nearing completion. She will be back to her old self in no time."_ A brief pause. _"Well..."_

Hermione wished that she could tell him that she liked seeing Snape like this, but couldn't. She felt Dumbledore looking down at her and could have sworn that she felt a smile. Did he know that she could hear them?

_"Severus...may I ask one thing?"_ Dumbledore asked.

_"Of course."_

_"If I may be so bold, my friend... Do you..."_ Dumbledore began. He paused briefly, hesitating in his question before continuing. _"Do you feel something for Miss Granger?"_

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence and Hermione wished that she could see what kind of expression Snape was wearing. When he finally did answer, it was anything but the answer she wanted but then again, should have expected.

_"Of course not, Albus!"_ Snape snapped, embarrassment in his voice.

_Liar!_ Hermione thought.

_"There's no need to be ashamed of it, Severus,"_ Dumbledore told him gently, _"I have to say that you do talk about her quite a lot when it is just you and me. And Hermione could use a friend if anything. She lost her childhood... her parent's faith and now this..."_

_"But she's - "_

_"A woman, Severus,"_ Dumbledore chided gently, _"A young woman who was thrown into this unfortunate circumstance alone and without anyone to help her. And you..."_ He cut himself off, almost as if he hesitated once more before finally continuing again. _"You've been given another chance, my friend. No one else can say that they have had another chance at..."_

Snape made a sound akin to a growl. _"No!"_ he spat, in a hushed whisper, _"It is folly, Headmaster! Folly."_

_"Is feeling something for someone folly?"_ Dumbledore asked him.

Snape didn't answer.

Hermione could hear the sound of his footsteps fading and she felt Dumbledore looking down at her. _"It's alright, Miss Granger,"_ he told her, _"He's embarrassed by affections, but not to worry. He will come around."_

She was sure that if it wasn't for the petrification, her head would have simply exploded from all of this.

O

The following morning, Hermione could feel Pamona forcing something hot and liquid-like down her throat. It must have been the potion that she had brewed up from the Mandrakes because to her, it tasted fresh and right from the cauldron. After feeling it wash down her insides, Hermione felt her vision slowly starting to come back to her. Everything in the room cleared and she could now see the faces of Sprout, Pomfrey, McGonagall, Dumbledore and Snape staring down at her.

"Miss Granger?" McGonagall said, "Can you move at all?"

Hermione ignored Snape's piercing stare and felt like every inch of her body had fallen asleep through a rather irritating "pricks and needles" sensation, but sure enough, the feeling was beginning to return. She could move her jaw and fingers and eventually, her entire body. She noticed that Colin Creevy as well as other students were receiving the same treatment from several of the house elves. She smiled weakly, seeing that everyone was in good care as well as getting back on their feet.

Hermione attempted to stand out of bed, but she felt little strength in her legs and almost toppled over, but was captured by Snape and McGonagall before she could fall. She met the Potion Master's eyes and he gave her a strange look before hastily removing his hands from her, almost as if he was uncomfortable with meeting her eyes. She had a feeling that the reason was because of his opening up to her and not realizing it. Maybe he felt strange still.

"Yes well..." Sprout said, "That will wear off in a few minutes. Make sure that she moves around a bit. It'll help get her blood flowing again."

McGonagall nodded and looked over her shoulder to see Harry, Ron and Lockhart walking into the medical wing. Lockhart had a dazed, drooling look on his face and he was covered in dirt. His hair was standing on end and his clothes were burned. McGonagall looked stunned at his condition.

"What happened to this one?" she asked.

Harry smiled sheepishly. "He may have been Obliviated, ma'am," he told her, "He tried it on Ron and me, but it backfired. He probably shouldn't have tried to use Ron's wand to do it."

Hermione's eyes widened in horror at the news. "He WHAT?" she exclaimed.

Harry smiled weakly as she advanced. "Hermione, don't-"

Lockhart looked up at the woman with a goofy grin. "Hello, lovely!" he said, "Who are you?"

Before anyone could stop her, she swung her fist into a wicked right hook and clobbered Lockhart in the face. The reaction caused the teachers to go to his aid as he crumbled to the floor with a bleeding, obviously broken nose. Hermione didn't see it, but Snape was smiling smugly, proud of what she had done to the man. McGonagall looked back at her in disbelief as Pomfrey tended to Lockhart's bleeding nose.

"You bastard!" Hermione shouted down at Lockhart, "I cannot believe you were going to Obliviate children!"

Lockhart looked up at her with a very clueless look, speaking through his blood - soaked lips. "Pardon?" he said, "What is this obliviate you're talking about? Is it some kind of noodle, perhaps?"

"Don't play dumb!" she shouted, glaring at him.

Harry winced at stared at her painfully. "The spell actually hit him, Hermione..." he told her, "He can't remember anything."

She looked at him and the rest of the shocked staff before smiling weakly. "Well, this is uncomfortable..."

McGonagall shook her head and helped Lockhart into a bed while Pomfrey corrected his nose with a simple spell. Hermione ignored the stunned looks and looked at Harry and Ron, awaiting an explanation of what had happened while she was out.

"You were right, Hermione," Harry told her, "The only reason that I could hear those voices was because it was a basilisk; a snake. It was petrifying everyone in the school."

Hermione smiled, thrilled that Harry managed to figure it out. "What happened to it?" she asked, "Is it gone?"

"Yeah!" Ron told her, smiling with pride, "Harry killed it!"

She stared at Harry in surprise. She couldn't believe that Harry was able to defeat and kill a basilisk on his own. "You killed a basilisk on your own?" she said, amazed, "How in Merlin's name were you able to do that by yourself, Harry?"

"I wasn't alone," Harry told her, smiling with some form of pride, "If it wasn't for Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, I would have probably died in that chamber." He rolled up his sleeve and held out his arm, showing Hermione the tiny scar that remained from the basilisk fang that had pierced him. "Its tears healed me."

Hermione sighed with relief and threw her arms around both of them in a tight hug. They glanced at each other in surprise by her action. Hermione took a moment before she smiled at them.

"Guys, I'm just glad you're okay and in one piece," she said, "Going down into the Chamber of Secrets was a really dumb move, but I guess I had a feeling you weren't going to listen and just tell the teachers, weren't you?"

Ron shook his head. "No. He had Ginny, Hermione."

"Who?" Hermione asked.

"Tom Riddle," Harry answered for the boy, "Somehow he was controlling her through the diary. HIS diary. She's fine now that it's been destroyed, but she's still very upset about what she did, even if she was not in control of it."

"It was Ginny who did all of those things?"

"Yes."

O

Much later, there was a celebration dinner for the heroes of Hogwarts; Harry Potter and Ron Weasley as well as the return of their good friend, Hagrid. Hermione was absolutely thrilled to see that Hagrid was back, after hearing it from Ron and Harry that Lucius and Fudge had taken Hagrid away to Azkaban. She decided to wear a good pair of her black and red robes to the event and was surprised to be met up with Dumbledore who gestured her to the teacher's table. She reluctantly walked across the Great Hall up to him.

"Miss Granger, perhaps you should sit with us?" he suggested.

"Sir, I'm not a teacher," Hermione told him.

"No, yet you are a member of the staff, so I am welcoming you to our table," Dumbledore answered, "Take a spot beside professor Snape if you will."

Hermione met Snape's gaze and noticed that he stiffened when she walked around the table to sit beside him. She studied an empty plate in front of her that suddenly filled itself with food. She was hungry, but she couldn't quite eat very comfortably either. Snape had somehow relaxed in his seat and was starting to eat his soup in front of him. After a while of waiting for the awkward chill to die down, she started taking a bite out of her chicken pot pie.

Dumbledore smiled as he watched the two and raised his goblet to the rest of the students. "Let the feast begin!" he announced.

Everyone eagerly started eating. Hermione glanced at the corner of her eye and watched Snape take a drink from his goblet.

"I heard you in the hospital wing, you know," she told him.

She felt him tense and nearly choke on his wine. He cleared his throat and licked his lips before calmly setting the goblet down. "And how is that possible?" he asked, his voice tense with embarrassment, "You were petrified. You don't know what you heard."

Hermione tittered, insulted. "I suppose I imagined it then?" she snapped, in a hushed whisper, "Or were you just being a complete git and knew the entire time that I could hear you, but just wanted to make fun of me?"

He was getting angry. "I can assure you, Granger that whatever you heard was purely taken out of context."

"You're a right knob head, that's all it is!" she hissed, attempting to continue eating. For some reason, she felt insulted and not to mention hurt by his words. Instead if dealing with any more of it, she stood up and gave Dumbledore a respectable nod. "Thank you for letting me join you, sir. But I must go."

She stood up and gave Snape an emotionless nod before turning and exiting through the door nearest her. Hermione had no idea where it would go, but she didn't care. She was embarrassed and felt sick to her stomach. The walls around her were eerie and covered in webs, so she figured that they might have led to the dungeons. Behind her, Snape had followed through the same door and was running up before she disappeared around the corner.

"Granger, stop." he ordered.

She didn't.

"STOP." he repeated, with a little more force.

She sighed and stopped in her place, forcing an iron-clad calm before turning to face him. "What?" she asked, curtly.

"Can't we talk like adults and not walk away from our problems?" he snapped, looking flustered.

Hermione scoffed in disbelief. "You're unbelievable..." She turned to go. "I'm going to bed."

"Wait!" he ordered, grabbing her arm to stop her, "Stop doing that. Just stay here and let's talk for a minute."

"No. I tried and you acted like a git," she snapped, surprising herself with how much stronger she felt. Maybe the basilisk imbued her with stronger feelings, maybe a little harder than what she had thought them to be. Who knew what it did exactly, but she didn't feel pathetic as before. She felt different in a way that was both shocking and amazing. "So I'm done trying. I'm done, professor Snape. Done."

She attempted to pull free, but his grip tightened on her. "No. Don't..." Snape began. He closed his eyes tightly and trailed off, attempting to collect his thoughts. It was the first time she had seen him look so pained with his next words, as if he had great difficulty saying them. "...Don't say that. Don't say that you're done trying because we both know that's a lie."

Hermione stared down at the hand on her wrist before she looked up at him, feeling that strange ache return. This time, it started from her arm where he had her. It began to make sense now. Everything began to make sense. Myrtle was right; she had a crush, but it was beginning to feel like much more. That's why she had been affected by his speech in the medical wing that day. If she hadn't felt anything even to a small degree, it wouldn't have bothered her.

"I don't understand," she said, softly, "We both know what you said, yet you deny it before the others. Why?"

He sighed and hung his head, slowly releasing his grip on her wrist.

"Is it because of shame?" Hermione asked, her voice filled with a small hint of bitterness and pain, "Are you ashamed?"

Snape looked up at her sharply. "That's far from the truth, Granger!"

"Then what is it?" Hermione asked, "Is it..." She cut herself off and her gaze hardened. "Is it because I'm a Muggle-Born? You don't want to be seen with the likes of me in front of your 'pure blood' friends?"

"Stop it!" he nearly shouted, "You couldn't be more wrong!"

She was quiet, watching the burning, black coals of his eyes stare her down for a long time before he shut his eyes and sighed, returning to his reserved, closed - off self once again. She wanted to bring that other side of him back. It was the only side that showed any emotion or feeling and she actually liked seeing such a side to him.

"Be rational, Miss Granger," he said, his voice low, "Why should you change your outlook for me simply for one foolish proclamation of my own foolish emotions?"

Hermione's angry gaze melted away. "No one said your feelings didn't matter."

"But they don't," Snape answered, giving her a very bleak look, "Not to you. They never did or ever would have if I hadn't said what I said there. Nothing should have to change because of that. I meant what I said when you deserve better. Someone other than me."

She didn't know what to say at first. Severus Snape had feelings for her. How in the hell were you supposed to answer to that when you thought that this entire time, he hated you?

"Is that why you attacked Lockhart in the Dueling Club?" she asked, "Other than the obvious?"

Snape smiled weakly, almost shamefully. "Yes. I confess that it was not my proudest moment."

"You were jealous..." Hermione couldn't even believe what she was hearing.

"I was..."

She was quiet.

"But..." Snape continued, his voice filled with a pain that he tried to keep hidden, "I realized how selfish I was being. Who am I to prevent you from finding someone?"

"Professor, I-" Hermione began.

"This discussion is over," Snape said, turning, "I'm sorry."

O

Hermione returned home feeling lower than dirt.

She didn't know what to make of this whole thing. Maybe she could write him a letter and send it with an owl. She had recently purchased an own in Diagon Alley and considered sending Harry and Ron letters over the summer, so it would be a perfect opportunity.

Her owl was small, practically an adolescent with brown feathers tinged with gray. She had named her Magdalene, and her family seemed to like the name as well as her owl. They agreed to let her have one so long as it was calm and didn't make a mess of the place. Magdalene was usually very passive and didn't give her any grief, an opposite of Ron's owl, Errol.

She started to write her letter.

_Dear Professor Snape,_

_We agreed to never talk about it again, but we never agreed to never send owls. Forgive my impertinence, but this is something I cannot let go._

_Please, don't avoid me. Let's talk._

_-Hermione_

She smiled with pride and thought it was sweet, simple and to the point. She sealed it and placed it into her owl's claws before releasing it out the window. She waited for a long time, hoping that it would get to him soon.

And much to her surprise, Magdalene returned with a different letter. She opened it up immediately.

_Hermione Granger,_

_Ten points from Gryffindor for your cheek._

_If you wish to speak with me in this manner, I will address your inability to do so with dignity. I told you already that I do not wish to speak about this anymore. Did we not agree to these terms or will you continue to pester me?_

_-Severus Snape_

Well, that was rather rude. She quickly hurried with another letter and decided that if she used his first name rather than professor, it would bring them both on a same level of respect and that would probably turn the conversation around a bit.

_Severus Snape_

_You obviously don't know me too well then. I only wish to talk about your feelings as well as my own. Though you so fervently proclaimed in the hallways at school, I don't consider you unpleasant all the time when you are trying hard to be a gentleman rather than an insufferable git._

_School is closed for the summer, maybe we can have some tea and just talk like two adults rather than proffessor and student._

_-Hermione Granger_

She felt herself grow warm around her cheeks for no apparent reason. She was so intent on talking with him; but her feelings felt more intense than they really should of. How positively indecent of her to think in such a way! Maybe it was because she was an adult now. Did adults think like this more so than children? Was that the "change" that Dumbledore had told her about earlier that morning when she visited him?

She sent the letter anyway.

It took almost hours. Hermione had almost given up on the whole idea of trying any further when her owl flew through her window with another letter. She picked it out of the bird's claws and opened it, hoping that he had changed his mind.

_Hermione Granger,_

_I know you better than you think. Whatever feelings you may THINK you have, they are obviously the delusions of a naive young woman. I am not going to take advantage of your innocence and I do believe I am more of a gentleman than you think of me as, which is why I don't want you to feel any obligation or pity towards me._

_But I will take you up on that offer for tea._

_-Severus Snape_

She smiled to herself. Well, it was a start.


	8. 8

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the end of the first chapter was borrowed from the film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out.

"The key to change... is to let go of fear."

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Eight**

_1993_

Hermione could still see that he was very uncomfortable.

Snape had dressed properly for the trip to the cafe; he was wearing a black summer jacket, his typical white cravat and black dress robes that she had seen him wearing during the graduation ceremony last year. It wasn't the Muggle surroundings or the atmosphere itself that seemed to bother him but the company that he was with. At least, that was exactly what she got the feeling of anyway. It occurred to her that he wasn't uncomfortable with him being with her per se, but rather the situation with her sudden adulthood. Understanding that, she couldn't half blame him.

"Professor Snape, I understand why you don't want to be seen with me," she said.

He looked up at her from his tea cup in surprise. "You do?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes," she continued, "I understand how strange is must be for a teacher to be seen with his student. Especially one in my situation."

He looked somewhat relieved that she had come to an understanding.

"But honestly," she said, raising her brows, "After what all has happened. I don't think anything like this should really come as a concern to me. I know you're worried about my conditions, and I truly do appreciate that. But it's fine. I can handle myself."

Snape looked somewhat bothered still. "I don't think that you fully grasp this situation, Miss Granger," he protested, "I understand that-"

"Oh please drop that tired old bone, will you?" she interrupted, taking a quick, furious sip of her own tea, "I have had enough of people telling me that I don't fully grasp a situation when it is clearly obvious that I can."

Snape made a face at that. "You're mad, Granger."

"No, I'm hungry, actually," she replied, smiling and gesturing to one of the waiters who was at another table, "Waiter!"

After they had some food, Hermione and Snape walked down the London streets, taking the opportunity to talk alone.

"You don't believe them, do you?" Hermione asked.

"Believe what?"

"That I'm some evil woman," she answered, making dramatic noises and mocking hand gestures, "I did a horrible thing buying that stone and now I could possibly be the dark and bloodthirsty mistress to You-Know-Who himself."

Snape didn't really like that joke. He furrowed his brow at her. "Don't say things like that."

She shrugged her shoulders at his words and made an irritated noise. There was no way in hell she was going to be taken literally in that way. "Trust me, I'm not serious," she said, with dismay, "Stupidity isn't a curse, but it feels as if it's been cast like one."

"Something we agree on..." Snape muttered in agreement.

"Why do people do things like that anyway?" she continued, shaking her head, "Always assume something out of nothing. It's utter bollocks."

"Yes, but you cannot stop people from believing what they do," he pointed out, "If you find a way, however, do let me know."

Hermione chuckled softly and raised her brows. "Yes, I promise I will."

He actually managed a brief smile, knowing full well that she was joking. Though a part of him wished for it to be true.

"As much as I have enjoyed this rather peaceful and rare conversation between us, I have to be home soon to complete my work," Hermione told him, "I have some extra credit that I plan on completing for Professor McGonagall for the next term."

"Very well, I'll take you home."

O

The evening had brought on a very icy cold that surprised Hermione, so she cast a warming charm to keep her body from going numb. Snape was wearing his robes, so he couldn't have been cold himself, but she could see his breath coming out in soft, gradual puffs.

"Do you ever consider your own place?" Snape asked her, "Surely your parents have pestered you about that enough after this."

"Not at all, actually," Hermione told him, "They are in no rush to see me go. After all, if I am to live on my own, I need a job."

Snape started to say something, but Hermione droned out the sound of his voice when she felt another cold chill, though this time, it was much stronger. She stopped in the middle of the road and looked over her shoulder. This wasn't right. It was the middle of summer. How could it suddenly get this cold?

It suddenly occurred to her that the wind carried a whisper. A brief whisper that called her name in a gentle, intimate way; like that of the fingers of a lover stroking gently down her very core.

_Hermione..._

Snape paused when he realized that Hermione wasn't following him. He looked over his shoulder with a frown. "Granger?" he called.

Hermione was frozen in her spot. When she didn't respond, Snape walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She was staring down the street, her eyes wide with the most heart-twisting terror that he had ever seen before in her. She was breathing slightly faster than he noticed before. He peered down the darkness of the street and tried to see what it was that had frozen her in such fear. He could see nothing.

"What is it?" he asked.

Hermione briefly snapped out of her 1000 yard stare and looked at him with that same terror. "Do you feel that?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"What?"

"There's something out there," Hermione whispered, "I thought that I must have been imagining it before, but I can feel it. Something's watching us."

Snape stared into the unnatural blackness in the distance. He should have been able to sense it, but he didn't feel a single change. Why was it that she looked truly terrified when he himself could feel no real threat at all?

"I don't feel anything," Snape said, softly.

"It's there, I know it!" Hermione insisted, her eyes still wide, "I can feel it...It's watching us."

Snape didn't know what to do. He didn't see or sense anything, but Hermione looked serious enough for him to react. He removed his wand from his robes and uttered _Lumos Solem_, sending a bright ray of light down into the unnaturally dark road. It seemed to cut through it as if the darkness itself was made of a thick substance with the consistency of jelly, followed by a soft, whispering sighing sound that seemed to carry a mixture of broken sentences in a strange and bizarre language. Snape's eyes widened slightly in shock; he hadn't expected that at all.

"What the bloody hell?" he whispered.

Hermione stood there, stunned. "What was that?" she asked.

Snape turned and grabbed her arm. "Come with me," he ordered, "We must go."

"Wait! What's going on?" Hermione demanded, "Where are we going?"

"Don't talk, just go!" Snape ordered, "We need to find Dumbledore, before it-"

Suddenly, the darkness seemed to merge together once more and a horrible, garbled voice pierced through the air. It sounded aged, powerful and menacing, as if the ancient fires of hell itself were speaking to them.

_"SHE'S MINE!"_ it screamed.

And just at that split second, the wind seemed to whip with the force of a thousand bull elephants all at once and both Snape and Hermione were knocked off of their feet and into the concrete street in a hurricane gale force. Hermione scrambled for her wand and thrust it out into the darkness, hoping to do some harm to whatever it was attacking them. She didn't even think, she just wanted to strike.

"_Bombarda_!" she screamed.

A red, crackling blast from her wand flew into the darkness, but it passed through it as if it were nothing and struck a Muggle fencepost, blowing it to pieces. Snape immediately cast a silencing charm around the entire area between himself, Hermione and the fog of darkness that seemed malevolent in nature. The air around him seemed to dry entirely and tasted almost gritty, as if sand itself was being whipped about.

"_Donec a pretium_...(I want the witch...)" the voice whispered, softly.

Snape furrowed his brow and attempted to focus into the shadows themselves to see what it was that attacked them. All that he could see was a shadow that attempted to take on physical form, but either could not or chose not to. He found it very intriguing that it spoke various languages.

"What are you?" he demanded.

"_Du er svag_... (You are weak...)" the creature whispered, in Danish, "_Jeg vil for altid hjemsøge hende, indtil jeg gør krav på, hvad der er mit_... (I will forever haunt her until I claim what is mine...)"

Snape couldn't understand what it was saying without a translation spell of some kind and it took concentration to do so. He wasn't going to let his guard down for a second to concentrate on anything else right now.

"Speak English, damn you!" he spat.

The creature chuckled softly, a dry and very unsettling sound. _"I DO NOT SPEAK TO USELESS FOOLS WHO CHOOSE TO ADDRESS ME WITH DISRESPECT. BUT I KNOW WHAT YOU DESIRE, SEVERUS..."_

Snape stiffened at the mention of his name. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Instead of answering, the shadowy smoke circled around him in a gentle, intimate way. _"HOW MANY SLEEPLESS NIGHTS HAS IT BEEN, SEVERUS?"_ it purred, _"ALONE, FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF...WITHOUT THE WARMTH OF A WOMAN'S BODY TO COMFORT YOU..."_

Snape looked over his shoulder and watched as Hermione slowly advanced on the smoky being, her wand pointed at it. "What do you want?" she demanded, her arm trembling slightly, "Who the hell are you?"

"Granger, stay back!" Snape commanded.

Instead, the smoking being slithered up to her as silent as air, chuckling quietly. Hermione couldn't see its details very well, but she could barely make out the contours of a human-like face in the smoke as well as golden eyes that were slit like a cats.

_"YOU HAVE STOLEN FROM ME, HERMIONE GRANGER,"_ he told her, _"SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL TO ME. I WANT THE PAYMENT THAT WAS PROMISED."_

She furrowed her brow. "I don't understand..." she whispered, her voice haunted, "What are you?"

_"THE CONSTANT REFRAIN OF HUMANITY..."_ the creature purred, circling her like a hungry predator, _"'I DON'T UNDERSTAND'."_ The creature paused briefly, hovering in front of her. _"WHAT YOU SEE IS A SHADOW OF MYSELF, MY BODY DESTROYED BY THE WITCHES AND WIZARDS OF THE HILLS. I AM BELIAL."_

"Belial?" Hermione whispered, stunned, "The demon of the stone?"

Belial uttered a closed-mouth chuckle. _"MY HEART IS MADE OF STONE, MY DEAR. YOU WISHED UPON IT."_

"I did it without knowing!" Hermione insisted, "I didn't make the wish of my own accord!"

_"SUPPOSE THAT IS THE CASE. BUT YOU HAVE TAKEN FROM ME REGARDLESS OF YOUR SEEMINGLY IGNORANT INTENTIONS. THAT SIMPLY WILL NOT DO."_

Hermione thought of something for a moment before she attempted to sway the demon with flattery. In her studies of ancient demon beings of the wizarding world, Belial was mostly susceptible to all forms of it. Even if it seemed like deception, Belial was unable to resist the charms.

"But great demon, what could I have possibly stole from you?" Hermione asked, looking at him with all of the innocence that she could.

It worked because Belial seemed to smile. She could see silvery sharp teeth through the smoking wisps of his face. _"MY POWER."_

Hermione feigned surprise, even though she was partially stunned by this revelation to being with. "Surely you are mistaken, great one," she continued, watching as he circled her, "I would remember wielding the power of the Almighty Belial."

_"IT DIDN'T COME TO ME JUST YET UNTIL YOU HAD BEEN PETRIFIED BY THE BASILISK,"_ Belial continued, rumbling with self-assured pride, _"SOMETHING FELL INTO YOU AFTER THAT. A PORTION OF ITS MAGIC. I ABSORB MAGIC AND IT WOULD SEEM THAT IT WAS BLESSED TO YOU."_

Hermione shook her head. "No sir, that would be wrong of me to steal from one as mighty as yourself."

_"INDEED SO, HERMIONE GRANGER,"_ Belial hissed, chuckling as Snape approached them, _"I ORIGINALLY CAME TO TAKE YOUR SOUL AS PUNISHMENT, BUT SOMETHING ELSE HAS INTRIGUED ME..."_

"And that would be...?" Hermione inquired.

_"YOU MAY REMAIN HERE WITH THIS...UNFORTUNATE AND PITIFUL CREATURE,"_ He gestured to Snape and neither one of them decided to correct him-it wouldn't have been very smart to do so, _"ONLY ON ONE CONDITION..."_ Belial said.

Hermione didn't like where this was going; any condition from a demon was never a good thing. He was smiling, showing those rows of silver teeth.

_"YOU MUST REPLACE THE SOUL THAT I AM WITHOUT. YOU MUST TAKE A LIFE FOR ME."_

Snape and Hermione stared at the demon in shock.

"WHAT?" Hermione exclaimed, "Take a-I can't just kill someone!"

Belial chuckled softly and his voice purred out his next words. _"I KNOW. THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT SO FUN."_

"And what if she refuses?" Snape demanded, coldly, "What if she doesn't take you up on this offer?"

Belial's golden eyes seemed to blaze with fire. _"IF THE WOMAN DOES NOT COMPLY, THEN SHE WILL BE TAKEN TO THE COLDEST, DARKEST REALMS OF THE AFTERLIFE."_ He raised his hand as if he was prepared to snap his fingers. _"YOU HAVE UNTIL THE STROKE OF MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO BRING ME MY SOUL."_

With a horrible gale wind, he was gone.

O

"I will not allow for you to go through with this!" Snape shouted.

Hermione was sitting in Dumbledore's office at Hogwarts and he had gathered Dumbledore and McGonagall to inform them of the situation. They looked absolutely horrified by this news and even more so for her safety.

"What must we do, Albus?" McGonagall asked, looking at the older, wiser wizard for some form of advice. "Surely we cannot expect young Granger to kill someone for this...wicked creature."

"No, we must certainly not," Dumbledore told her.

Snape was pacing around the room with frustration. He glared at the two teachers. "Well we cannot expect for Belial to take her away!"

"Calm yourself, Severus," Dumbledore assured him, "We will come up with something."

"It is a demon!" Snape spat, "There is no reasoning with it!"

Hermione covered her ears as the three teachers started talking at once. She whispered, "Stop" over and over again to try and silence them and to clear her own thoughts of the madness that literally surged through her head. Finally, she could take no more and raised her hands with a loud cry to follow. "STOP!" she shouted.

The three stopped talking and looked over at her in surprise. She stood up and gave them a sad, and very resolute look, yet she was smiling with a certain peace to her face that suddenly made them all look very worried. Only one who was willing to give up everything had that kind of expression on their face. "May I please speak with professor Snape alone?" she asked them.

They nodded and slowly walked out of the office, leaving the two alone without so much as a second time to protest. Snape watched as she walked slowly around the room. His chest felt as if the cold fingers of Belial himself gripped him mercilessly and mockingly. He had a feeling that he knew what she was planning.

"I'm going to give myself up to him at midnight." she said.

Snape stood calmly and he blinked several times, feeling the pain in his chest starting to grow. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, trying to keep his features as calm as possible, though it seemed to fail. "I cannot accept this." he finally said. His voice began to break somewhat and he sucked in a sharp breath before hissing out his next words in an explosion of breath. "It's madness, don't you understand?"

Hermione shook her head, a resolute expression on her face. "What has happened is madness, professor Snape," she said, quietly. Her voice carried little emotion, which only served to hurt him even more. She seemed to be giving up. "You were right. I shouldn't have been given a second chance here. I don't deserve to be treated any different than any other of your students. I have to give myself up to him. I will not let an innocent soul die for my mistake. Too many have already in this world."

"But you CAN'T!" Snape shouted, his shout carrying a tremble of sorrow.

Outside of the office, McGonagall and Dumbledore were listening; McGonagall's features filled with despair.

"It's wrong..." Hermione said, softly. Her eyes were heavy with some form of sadness and pain. Yet she still spoke with a strength and a calm that Snape seemed to be losing his grip on, "It's all wrong. I shouldn't be like this. It's not natural and you know it."

Snape took a step forward. "What did you tell me this morning?" he demanded, "You said it yourself that none of that should come as a concern to you!"

"I told a lie...Or so it seems," Hermione replied.

Snape advanced, his black eyes filled with a fiery passion and sorrow that almost startled her. "I won't let you do this!" he hissed, his eyes slowly starting to fill with sorrow and anger, "I will hold you down if I must, I will fight him off...Whatever it takes, but I will NOT let you kill yourself!"

She shook her head. Don't make this more difficult than it has to be. "Don't be stupid, Severus Snape," she said, quietly, "Not even YOU could stand against a demon. Just let me do this."

"And what of your parents?" Snape demanded, "You would leave them with this pain?"

Hermione chuckled quietly. "They will understand why it had to be done."

He shook his head slowly, his lower lip trembling. He looked less like that frightening teacher and more like a young boy. It twisted a horrible knot in the pit of her stomach. "Please...don't do this."

"I have to," she answered, "If I took someone's life, I would be no different than You-Know-Who. I don't want to live with blood on my hands."

McGonagall's hair on her head seemed to straighten at the sounds of Snape's soft whimpers of despair. She had only rarely heard such a sound when he was a child. Dumbledore had seen him cry before, but nothing like this. He sounded like a tormented, beaten dog.

"Please...please..." Snape begged, "Don't, Hermione."

He hung his head and she knotted her brow, attempting to force herself to stay calm and not be swayed by his sobbing. "I have to do this."

Snape's soft sobbing sounds were her only response.

O

Hermione, Snape, Dumbledore and McGonagall waited for Belial's arrival at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Hermione was sitting on pins and needles, awaiting her untimely demise. When she could hear the chime of the clock tower, she tense as the air around her began to grow deathly cold once more. A casual, amused fit of laughter filled the air and the looked around as a thick black smoke swirled around in a circle in front of them.

_"YOU'VE COME AT LAST,"_ Belial crooned, assuming his shadowy form, _"I WAS BEGINNING TO WORRY."_

Hermione swallowed hard and forced an iron-clad calm. "I came as promised, didn't I?"

Belial chuckled softly. _"YES, YOU DID. AND I CAN SEE THAT YOU ARE WITHOUT MY SOUL."_ He tsked mockingly and shook his head with pity. _"SUCH A SHAME THAT IT WILL END LIKE THIS. I HAD HOPED FOR MORE."_

Hermione nodded her head. "I will not take the life of someone to save myself."

Belial murmured thoughtfully, obviously not entirely caught on to her real plan just yet. _"HMMM... HOW VERY HONORABLE."_ he mused, _"AFTER SEVERAL CENTURIES, I CAN STILL BE SURPRISED."_

She nodded. "I give my life willingly to protect an innocent."

Belial's smile drained from his face when he realized his error. _"SELF-SACRIFICE..."_ he whispered.

McGonagall smiled at this. "If I recall correctly, demon," she said, boldly, "You cannot act against one who willingly offers their body to save another." She gestured behind her. "Time on this earth has run out for you."

Belial's lips tightened furiously and he looked up toward the clock as the hand began to tick further from the midnight hour. He was losing time and could not leave without something in his possession. No, he would NOT leave empty - handed. _"NO! I WILL NOT LEAVE WITHOUT A CLAIM!"_ He glowered at Hermione with rage. _"YOU DECEIVED ME, YOU LITTLE WITCH!"_

She staggered back several paces as Belial raised his long, sharp claws. McGonagall and Dumbledore moved quickly, raising their wands and producing spells that shot out powerful rays of blue and green light. The resulting crossing of the magic created a powerful black and violet ball that erupted in a wicked explosion, sending the four flying back. Everything went dark and the only sound that filled the air was the gradually disappearing scream of Belial.

O

_"Wake up..."_

Hermione moaned and opened her eyes. She was standing in a room of nothing but white. The chairs were white, the wallpaper was white, the windows were even painted over with white. She stood up and moaned quietly. Now that she had a good enough look at it, it almost looked like a morgue. It was horrible to see such a thing, but how had she even arrived here? Or was it another one of Belial's tricks? She didn't know.

_"Hermione..."_

She looked around the room and noticed that there were several tables that appeared to have bodies covered with white sheets. She shivered against the cold and approached one of them. Despite her own terror, she reached out and grabbed a sheet, yanking it down. To her horror, the body of her mother was lying there. Her skin was pale white and lifeless as well as her open eyes. She eerily turned her head to Hermione and whispered in a sorrowful, haunting voice.

_"Don't let us die..."_ she moaned.

Hermione cried out in terror and turned away. Behind her, the lifeless corpse of her father sat up, the sheet falling away from his legs. _"You should have stayed. Never gone to that school. Now look what's happened to us!"_ he bellowed.

She covered her ears and closed her eyes, attempting to blot out the cries of terror that she knew couldn't be real. "It's not real," she whispered, over and over, "No, no, no. Not real. Not real..."

O

Dumbledore was standing in a graveyard, facing the tombstone of Ariana Dumbledore. His face was a grim, rigid mask of pain. Behind him, the clouds were rumbling and pouring rain down upon him, though it was false. He knew that it was false.

_"Albus...you killed me."_

His eyes screwed shut tight with pain. He didn't want to look in front of him for what he knew was there.

"Forgive me..." he whispered.

Belial chuckled coldly from somewhere._ "WHY DO YOU DESERVE FORGIVENESS?"_

"I don't." Dumbledore said, quietly.

O

_"Minerva..."_

The Head of Gryffindor house found herself inside a small, but well - tidy cottage house. She closed her eyes, but felt a tremble in her aged body for the familiar sight was not a welcoming one nor was it a pleasant memory that she cared to revisit. She could hear herself as a child, hiding from her mother as she attempted to seek her out. McGonagall knew what it was for and she didn't want to see it, so she kept her eyes closed.

_"Minerva!"_ came the horrible, scratchy voice of her mother, _"You will learn respect, young lady! I will beat it into you if I must!"_

The cold, cruel laugh of Belial filled the air. _"DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR, MINERVA?"_ he hissed, _"THE PAIN MUST HAUNT YOU EVERY NIGHT. HOW MANY TIMES HAD YOU SUFFERED AT HER HAND? MAYBE WE SHOULD RELIVE THEM AGAIN, JUST TO FIND OUT."_

McGonagall clenched her teeth. "It's not real." she said, her voice steady, "It's all lies."

O

Snape was lying in his bed, staring up at the same bland, boring ceiling as he always had since his childhood. The only change was Hermione looking down at him with a dark, yet very seductive smile on her face. He blinked in disbelief.

"Granger?" he said.

She chuckled softly and ran a hand up and down his chest. He watched her hand as if it were a weapon ready to claw out his heart. It became difficult to think when she swung her leg across his hips and straddled him. Snape swallowed with great difficulty. He could tell that she was wearing nothing beneath those black robes that she wore. Were they his? His eyes widened slightly when she wiggled her hips in a slow, tantalizing dance. He attempted to show as much apathy as possible.

"Don't do that..." he hissed.

She smiled with a false pout. "Why not?" she crooned, "I know that you want me."

Snape shut his eyes and took a few steady breaths to calm himself. "Not real...It's not real..."

Hermione smiled at him continuously. "It can if you want it to be," she crooned, leaning forward, bringing her lips dangerously close to his, "Why shouldn't you have what you desire, Severus? I am here for you. I'm ready for you."

"It's a lie..." Snape whispered, when she delicately kissed him against the corner of his mouth, "You're not Hermione."

"Am I not?" she purred, "I feel just like her, don't I?"

The false image wriggled her hips again, rubbing against the shameful sensation of his growing erection. "No... I mean, I don't..." Snape struggled to resist the charms of this impersonator and cursed himself for his weakness.

"You do." she whispered, biting lightly into his lower lip. "You desire me, professor. You want me."

Snape finally found the strength to sit straight up and shove her from him with a shout of fury.

O

Hermione awoke in the hospital wing of Hogwarts with Snape, McGonagall and Dumbledore also sitting at a few beds, each one drinking a glass of fire whiskey to bring back their spirits. Dumbledore seemed fine, but McGonagall looked like she had spent days awake. Snape looked paler than usual and Madam Pomfrey was tending to their mild cuts and bruises. Hermione looked down and noticed that her hand was tightly bandaged up.

"You took a nasty spill out there," Pomfrey told her, with a sweet, comforting smile, "Broke the bones in your wrist. But you're going to be fine."

Hermione looked to Dumbledore for an explanation. "What happened?" she asked, "How did-"

"Belial had attempted one final feat before he would leave this world," Dumbledore explained, "He wanted to bring us down to our lowest. To haunt us with our worst fears and our darkest secrets, hoping that we would become weak enough so that he could take us."

Hermione shuddered, thinking about that room she was in. "Well, I'm just glad he's gone."

"For now, anyway," Dumbledore said, standing, "We must be ever vigilant for any dark forces that could harm you, or anyone else here in this school."

She nodded her head in agreement and looked over to Snape. He took a drink of his cup of whiskey before giving her a weary smile. He must have seen something truly terrible for him to look that sickly and pale.

"Is everyone...okay?" she asked.

McGonagall stood up from her bed and walked over to her, giving Hermione a gentle pat on her shoulder. "We're fine, Miss Granger," she told her, "But it is as he says; we must be on our toes. We cannot let our guard down."

She nodded in agreement before rising and walking over to Snape. She took a spot beside him.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Snape nodded. "I will be."

"I was worried," Hermione told him, "Not for me, but for you and the others."

Snape gave her an exhausted sigh. "You must delight on these sadistic strains on my blood pressure..."

She actually giggled at that. "Not all the time."

Snape couldn't resist a dry laugh as well. They were silent and he studied his empty glass while Dumbledore and McGonagall smiled at the scene. Snape looked back at them briefly and they pretended to be in the middle of a conversation. He rolled his eyes and looked at the woman at his side.

"Granger...if you tell ANYONE about-" Snape began, giving her a warning look.

Hermione chuckled and stood up, patting him on his shoulder. It was a rather blunt action, but she covered it up with a dry smile. She knew exactly how he would feel if she let it spill that he had been crying. "Don't worry. No one'll ever know."

He nodded. "Thank you."

"Well, all of this life-and-death has exhausted me," Hermione told him, starting to walk away, "I think I may call it a day."

"Goodnight..." Snape called over his shoulder.

O

_Note-_I had to edit the Danish Belial was speaking since all I have to work with is crappy Google Translate. Oy... Thanks for the help with that elskphouse, I can't thank you enough.


	9. 9

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the end of the first chapter was borrowed from the film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out.

"The key to change... is to let go of fear."

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Nine**

_1993_

The summer had gone entire too fast.

Hermione was thrilled to enter Diagon Alley once more to prepare for her next year at Hogwarts. She surveyed the windows of the Magical Menagerie with delight, observing each and every animal there in the window. Despite having an owl of her own, she had longed to own a true pet.

Behind her, the shadowy form of Snape loomed. "Window shopping, Granger?" he said.

She turned and smiled when she saw him. "Good morning, professor Snape," she greeted, "You seem to be in unusually high spirits today." Then, she realized that something may have been wrong and looked worried. "Oh no, who died?"

Snape chuckled dryly and made a face. "Why is it when I seem in high spirits, someone automatically assumes the worst?"

She cringed. "Well let's face it, professor," she pointed out, "You do delight in causing extreme terror or harm to others."

He shook his head and looked beyond her. "Is there something of interest here?"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders and stepped into the shop. "I don't know yet," she replied, "I haven't quite found what I'm-" Suddenly, she cut herself off and grinned, looking beyond him to something that he couldn't see just yet.

When he walked over and received a better view, he groaned and rolled his eyes. She was staring into one of the many cages to a large tan and orange Kneazle crossbreed feline. It was watching her with a strange and fascinated tilt to its head. The store owner seemed intrigued as well when she noticed that the cat was not displaying any signs of aggression toward the woman at all. She smiled and approached her.

"Hello, madam!" she greeted, "May I help you with something?"

Hermione stood up and gave the woman a polite bow. The owner was wearing a very thick set of robes that were covered in bits of dust, animal dander and slime from various other creatures. She was also wearing a hat with feathers of every shape, size and color.

"Yes, how much for the cat?" she asked.

"The cat is called Crookshanks, my dear," the woman corrected for her, "And he has been here for most of his life."

Hermione looked stunned. "Really?"

"Well, no one would take him," the woman explained, "He's got a bit of a nasty temper around those he doesn't like. And you can imagine that everyone who has ever approached him has been quite unworthy by his standards."

Hermione gave the cat a piteous smile and reached in through the cage. "Some people just haven't give him a second chance is all," she said, "I'll take him."

The woman smiled with delight and apparent relief.

After Hermione left the shop, she was carrying Crookshanks in her arms. Snape followed behind her and shook his head, though he smiled.

"You are hopeless, woman," he told her, "All of those ridiculous emotions for a bag of fur."

She made a face at him, though it was purely humorous and nothing more. "I could say the same for you, professor." She finally sighed and remembered where she had to be. "Well, I'm meeting Ron and his family at the Leaky Cauldron. I'll see you at school then?"

Snape sighed. "Granger, you don't require to travel in that train. You can simply fly there on your broom."

"I could, but then I'd be an antisocial prat, wouldn't it?" she pointed out, "Besides, I want to tell Ron and Harry what happened over the summer!" His eyes suddenly darkened in warning and she remembered why. "Don't worry. I won't say a word to anyone."

He nodded his head and turned, walking through the crowded streets before he disappeared at a corner like a dark shadow. She just smiled as she watched him go before walking into the Leaky Cauldron where the Weasley's were sitting at a table, talking excitedly to one another. Hermione smiled and approached, just as Molly Weasley noticed her.

"Hermione!" she greeted, opening her arms, "How are you, dear?"

"I'm doing fine, thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said politely, "Are the boys around?"

Just before Molly could answer her, Crookshanks uttered a high-pitched yowl and ripped himself from Hermione's arms. She gave a cry of protest as the large animal surged underneath the table, in mad pursuit of something. Hermione attempted to pursue her pet as it darted over the legs of many patrons in his path. Just then, there was a sharp squeak and an angry shout from Ron as he made a mad dash to collect whatever it was that Crookshanks was after.

His rat, Scabbers.

"Hermione!" he barked, gesturing angrily to the cat at his feet, "What the hell is that thing?"

She quickly collected Crookshanks into her arms. "He's Crookshanks, thank you!" she snapped, "And you would do well to remember it!"

Ron glared at the cat. "I'm warning you, Hermione; keep that bag of fur away from Scabbars or I'll turn it into a little fur hat!" he warned.

The two didn't see Harry coming down the stairs of the Leaky Cauldron's upper floor.

"He's a cat, Ronald! What do you expect?" she protested, "Cats chase rats and EAT THEM. It's only in their nature."

As Harry reached the bottom of the stairs, he could clearly see what was the cause of the fight between the older woman and the teenager. He was cradling Scabbers close, while Hermione was attempting to hold down a hissing Crookshanks.

"A cat! Is that what they told you it was?" Ron scoffed, gesturing to the cat in her arms, "The thing looks more like a disgusting little pig with hair."

Hermione rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Charming. Coming from one who owns a smelly little old rodent for a pet!" she snapped.

Then, they sensed that there were a pair of eyes on them and turned, seeing Harry standing there. They smiled sheepishly at him, embarrassed by their fighting and the attention that it drew to the other boy.

O

As the Hogwarts Express blared it's horn, children began to pile up onto it while they waved goodbye to their parents and younger siblings. Hermione took a compartment with Ron and Harry, ignoring the shabby - looking man - Professor Remus Lupin-who was sleeping in the seat against the window. Hermione took a moment to collect her thoughts and told them what had happened to her over the summer with Belial. She even explained the new "gift" that she had been granted by wishing on Belial's heart. They looked horrified and intrigued all at once.

"A demon!" Ron exclaimed, "I thought they couldn't come onto mortal lands without being summoned by witches or wizards?"

Hermione knotted her brow. "They can't normally, but this one could."

"You were willing to just end your life?" Harry said, giving her a deeply troubled look, "Do you really delight in death?"

She rolled her eyes, though she didn't seem that upset about his words. "Look, if professor Snape hadn't been there-"

"Snape?" Ron cried, shocked, "You were with Snape?"

"I was," Hermione told them, smiling, "He's not a bad fellow when you talk to him and he talks to you like a civilized human being."

Ron narrowed his eyes at her. "This is the same Snape that makes our days a living hell, right?" he said, his voice still very hard, "The same one who constantly bullies Harry and treats him bad. How can you even THINK of associating with the likes of him?"

Hermione glared at him now, somewhat insulted. "Ronald, I am not a little girl," she snapped, "I can handle myself!"

"Get a handle on yourself before he does!" Ron spat.

That caused a very uncomfortable hush throughout the air and Harry's eyes widened behind his glasses at the words that slipped Ron's lips. Hermione blinked several times in disbelief before leaning forward, giving Ron a look so cold, it could chill granite. "What did you just say?" she asked, her voice rigid.

Ron wavered under her stare. "N-Nothing, that just slipped-"

Harry interjected. "Hermione, he's just upset about today, okay? He didn't mean it."

"No, I'm pretty sure that he did!" she hissed.

At the door, Crabbe and Goyle could hear the confrontation and ducked out of sight so that they could listen in further, interested with the topic of conversation regarding their Head of House and Potion's teacher.

"Okay," Ron said, his voice carrying bitterness, "I suppose I did mean it what I said." He cleared his throat. "But let's face it...thinks have been awfully different between the two of you lately."

Hermione tensed and Crookshanks hissed. "How so?"

"Oh I don't know," Ron snapped, pretending to think with an over-exaggerated thoughtful look on his face, "I've heard that your grades have improved sharply over these past few years, most particularly in his class. You've received several Outstandings during the terms that you 'grew up'." He sucked his teeth and raised his brows. "Any reason for the sudden change?"

Hermione immediately knew what he was getting at. Her face slightly turned pink. "How DARE you think such horrible things!" she shouted, standing, "You filthy little bastard! I've studied hard for those grades and you damn well know it!"

Harry took her arm and gently guided her back down, but she didn't move. "Hermione, just calm down..." he said, softly. He didn't want to be dragged into a wand fight between the two because he knew perfectly well that she could destroy Ron.

Outside of the compartment, Crabbe and Goyle grinned and hurried to find Draco.

"Ron, don't you recall Hermione's wish?" Harry said, attempting to soothe the air between them, "She wished to be bigger and stronger, so she is obviously going to excel further in her studies, right? That's all that it is."

Hermione's eyes were literally lazing with fury. They almost appeared to be golden, like the basilisk that Harry had faced in the Chamber of Secrets. Ron stared into those eyes, literally frozen with fear. Harry looked at Hermione briefly before he looked back at Ron; the boy appeared to be stammering weakly in fright. He wasn't petrified, but he still appeared to be locked there in terror at the sight of the eyes staring at him.

"Hermione, stop!" Harry ordered.

She blinked briefly before slumping back into her seat with a frustrated groan. "I'm sorry..." she said, softly.

Ron quickly gathered his things and scampered out of the compartment. Harry shook his head and gave the woman a look. "Hermione, don't take it too personally," he told her, "Ron's been a bit ... paranoid about a lot of things these days."

"Why?" she asked, rubbing her eyelids.

Harry chuckled with an uncomfortable smile. "He's a bit...upset because of the fact that..." He sighed and shook his head, almost un-enthused about what he was going to tell her. "He made me swear not to tell you."

She started looking annoyed now. "What is it, Harry?"

"Ron's had a bit of a crush on you before all of this happened," Harry told her, "He's just taking this hard."

Hermione looked stunned. "Really?"

Just then, the entire compartment rattled and the lanterns flickered in and out. The train lurched sharply and eventually slowed down. The force knocked the woman into Harry. They quickly exchanged a very awkward glance before she slid from him and looked at her watch.

"Why are we stopping? We can't be there yet... can we?" she said.

Harry stood up and slid the door open. He peered out to the corridor and noticed that everyone was looking around in confusion. Suddenly, the train jerked again and swayed, knocking Harry off of his feet. He scrambled back up and watched as the lamps running along the ceiling flickered and died one by one until the entire train was bathed in darkness. Outside the rain pelted against the windows, leaving only the sound of it as well as the frightened whispers of the students.

Ron quickly moved to Harry's side and they took cover into their compartment. He avoided Hermione's gaze.

"What's going on?" Ron asked.

A thin wisp of smoke lifted from Ron's mouth and Harry took notice, frowning.

"I don't know... Maybe we've broken down?" the other boy said.

Ron rubbed the window of condensation where he could see several dark shapes moving in the darkness of the rain. "There's something moving out there," he told the two, "I think there's something coming on the train."

Suddenly the car shook violently before it stilled. The metal trim around the window began to tremble and vibrate.

"Bloody hell," Ron whispered, horrified, "What's happening?"

Just then, a hand appeared in the door of their compartment. It was bony, sickly - looking and scabbed. It gripped the partially - opened compartment door and pushed it open. A towering, cloaked figure slid into the compartment, its face hidden beneath a long, black hood. Crookshanks arched his back and belted out a full - volume hiss. The shadowy creature seemed to search each and every terrified face before stopping at Harry.

They watched in horror as the creature bent forward toward the boy and a heavy sound filled the air, like that of air being sucked out. His entire features became distorted as the cloaked figure slowly began to suck the very soul out of him.

Just then, the man lying in the corner of the compartment shot up and pointed his wand at the creature. A bright ball of light shot out and enveloped the very shadows that it surrounded. It gave a low shriek and immediately fled the train. Ron and Hermione immediately moved to Harry's side when he slowly began to come around. After a moment's silence, the train began to move forward again and things resumed their normal routine.

"Harry?" Hermione said, "Harry, are you all right?"

Harry slowly nodded. Ron extended his hand and offered Harry his glasses. The boy took them and weakly smiled. "Thanks." he said.

Lupin reached into his pocket and produced a large block of chocolate. He snapped some off and offered it to Harry. "Chocolate," he told the boy, "Eat. It'll help."

Harry took it without question and was relieved to actually get some sugar in his system. "What was that - that thing?" he asked.

"A Dementor," Lupin explained, "One of the many guards of Azkaban. It's gone now."

Harry frowned at him in confusion.

"It was searching the train, Harry," Hermione said, "For Sirius Black."

Lupin winced and stood up. "I need to have a word with the conductor. Excuse me," he told them. He gestured to the chocolate in Harry's hands - the boy had slowly started to nibble on it without much effort in his action. "Eat up your chocolate. It'll help."

As he departed, Harry turned to Ron and Hermione. "What happened to me?" he asked.

Ron shrugged his shoulders. "Well, you sort of went...still like a statue, mate," he told him, demonstrating Harry's plight to give him a better idea, "We thought maybe you were having a fit or something."

Harry shook his head. "And did either of you pass out like I did?"

"No. I felt weird though," Ron answered, his eyes slightly darkening with fear, "Like I would never again be happy. But faint? No. Nothing like that."

Harry looked at Hermione for her testimony, but she simply shook her head. "I was shaking. It felt so cold like a had when I saw Belial, but professor Lupin made it go away."

"But someone was screaming," Harry told her, "A woman."

Hermione and Ron glanced nervously at each other.

"No one was screaming, Harry." Hermione told him.

It was dark when they arrived at Hogwarts. After the Sorting Ceremony for the First Years was complete and the school choir singing to the strains of a harpsichord. As the choir's song eventually ended, Dumbledore stepped up to his phoenix podium, smiling down at the fresh faces and returning ones. Dumbledore had already made the announcement regarding professor Lupin filling the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

Everyone clapped for him and Hermione caught Snape's eye. He made a very displeased face and she could tell that he was disappointed with the appointment of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He gave a few weak claps before his hands disappeared beneath the table.

After Dumbledore made a few more announcements-some of which involved the Dementors being at Hogwarts and another happier note of Hagrid becoming the new teacher for Kettleborne's Class; she could almost still feel Belial's cold embrace as she stared out through the glass windows, spotting a black shape move silently in the night.

O

Hermione wasn't thrilled with going to Divination the next day and apparently, neither was Ron and Harry. She did attempt to give professor Trelawney all the respect that she could for a teacher, but it was difficult when she felt that the class was a load of bollocks.

"Rubbish..." Hermione muttered.

"Miss Granger!" Trelawney said, leaning toward her to her tea cup; she didn't catch Hermione's uttered word of annoyance, "Broaden your mind! And allow your eyes to see...beyond."

Hermione sighed and held out her cup to her. Trelawney studied the pattern of the leaves with a small smile. "Oh! I see fruit!" she told the woman, "Prosperity...fertility!" She grinned at the woman now. "I see good things in your future, Miss Granger!"

Hermione rolled her eyes with a bored expression when the teacher turned her back. Though hearing that was probably something that Hermione craved right now. "That would be a nice change for once."

Trelawney turned to Harry and Ron. "What do you see in Mr. Potter's cup, Mr. Weasley?"

Ron leaned forward and took Harry's cup. "Well. He's got a rather odd sort of cross - that's trials and suffering. But this lot here could be the sun - that's great happiness," he said, checking his text book to be sure, "So... he's going to suffer but he's going to be very happy about it."

Trelawney took the cup and took a brief look before she uttered a shout of terror and dropped it. Everyone looked at her with shock and confusion.

"What is it, Professor?" Parvati asked.

Trelawney studied Harry with a mixture of pity and fear in her large eyes. "My dear boy..." she whispered, haunted, "You have the Grim."

O

"Bloody ridiculous..." Hermione muttered, strolling down the halls and talking to herself, "You can't die from a simple omen, that's..." She paused to herself and growled. "It's just ridiculous!"

"Talking to yourself, are we?" came a contemptible sneer from behind her.

Hermione turned and there stood Draco, flanked by his two friends.

"What is it now, Draco?" she said, rolling her eyes.

He smirked and held out a piece of paper that she couldn't see. It looked like a scrap of newspaper from the Daily Prophet. Hermione had a feeling that it had something to do with her and she quickly walked up to him, snatching it from his hands. He just laughed along with Crabbe and Goyle. When Hermione looked at the scrap of newspaper, she suddenly felt sick and wanted to curl up into the dust and die.

There was a small headline and it read: "**SCANDAL AT HOGWARTS! STUDENT TEACHER LOVE AFFAIR**!" and it even showed a false image of her dressed in a very skinny red dress in an over-exaggerated fashion. The image even blew a kiss for her.

"Now we know how the Mud-Blood's been getting high grades!" Draco sneered, "Shagging the professor!"

Hermione's face went blood red and she clenched the paper with a tight, shaking fist. She looked over her shoulder and screamed for the entire castle and everyone to hear. It frightened off several owls in the process. "RON-AAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLD!"

Ron and Harry could hear the shout from far away, even when it echoed gently through the air.

"Uh oh..." Ron whimpered, "That bloody menace of a woman's gone mental again!"

O

Snape was stunned when McGonagall practically trampled down his office door. "Minerva, what is the meaning of-"

She thrust a copy of the Daily Prophet down onto his desk. Snape's eyes dropped to it where he noticed the ad in the paper. A copy of the very same one that Draco had given Hermione. His eyes slowly widened in shock and horror. He wasn't surprised that Rita Skeeter had been behind it, but that wasn't what set his pulse rising faster than it ever had gone before. It was the fact that nearly everyone knew about the lies that she wove and the complications that it could cause.

"What is the meaning of this?" he whispered, his voice cold.

"I don't know, perhaps you tell me!" McGonagall snapped.

"I can assure you, Minerva that I had nothing to do with this..." Snape began. He quickly flipped the paper over, covering the false image of Hermione. "ridiculous tripe!"

McGonagall frowned at him. "Well someone gave Skeeter a reason to write this."

Snape slowly and tentatively turned the paper over to see the false, seductive Hermione smiling back at him. For a brief second, he could still recall Belial's vision that was sent to him and he shut his eyes briefly before looking back up at the older teacher.

"Where is Granger now?" he asked.

McGonagall blinked in surprise. She obviously hadn't thought to look for her in her anger. "I thought she would come and find you!" she said.

Snape immediately raced from around his desk and out into the hallways. McGonagall tailed behind him and they began a long search for Hermione. They occasionally stopped to ask students if they had seen her, but to no avail. Eventually, Snape caught up with Neville in the halls and the boy instantly froze with fright when he saw the very object of his fear standing right there. Snape ignored that and glared down at him.

"Have you seen Miss Granger?" he demanded.

"Y-Yes sir!" Neville squeaked, "She ran out to the fields! She was really angry, sir. She took out a gargoyle on the way there and I'm pretty sure a bunch of other stuff as well!"

Snape nodded briskly and quickly moved with McGonagall out to the fields. Sure enough, the followed a path of destruction where she had blown up several gargoyles in her wake-a very dangerous thing to do, but luckily no students were around-and the path stopped at a pile of over sized pumpkins near Hagrid's hut. They could hear soft sobbing sounds and slowly walked around to see Hermione sitting against the pumpkins, crying into her knees.

"Hermione, are you alright?" McGonagall asked, bending down to her.

"It's all messed up, professor!" she moaned, between her tears, "Everything's messed up."

McGonagall gave her a gentle pat on her shoulder. "Dear, no one blames you for this," she said, "It can be corrected, you'll see. Skeeter will-"

"No, it can't," Hermione told her, wiping her eyes against her robes, "In Muggle schools, rumors like this went with you until you died!"

McGonagall's lips tightened before she spoke, very carefully. "May I ask something, Miss Granger?" she asked.

"Of course..."

"Is there any reason at all why you are so upset?" she asked, "Surely if these rumors were false-and I know that they are-you would not feel the need to be afflicted so much by them. Personally there have been worse things spread around about you-most particularly from that little Malfoy boy-and you have shrugged them off in the past. Why is this any different?"

Snape tensed for no real reason when Hermione glanced at him from the corner of her eye. Her tears slowly stopped a bit and she sounded very uncertain. "I don't know..." she said, "I don't know. It's just...one thing after another. It feels like everything's falling apart!" She rubbed her eyes again. "It's a bloody fantastic way to spend my birthday!"

McGonagall's winced somewhat. "Your birthday?"

"Yeah..." Hermione answered, "I'm going to be 25. I know. I checked with the Ministry and they know my age officially."

"I'm so sorry about this, Miss Granger," McGonagall said, with a sad look of pity, "I can assure you that we will bring Rita Skeeter here and get to the bottom of who started such a terrible rumor."

O

Rita Skeeter stood calmly in the headmaster's office against the cold, accusing stares of Snape, Hermione and McGonagall. Only Dumbledore seemed to consider any alternative to what the others were probably thinking.

"I did my job," she told them, "I find news and print it."

"And that means ruining the reputations of anyone caught in your treacherous whirlwind?" Hermione shouted, her hands clenched at her sides, "You have no soul in that skinny little body of yours, do you?"

Rita smiled at her, without any shred of remorse. "I'm a journalist, dear," she said, "It's what I do."

"Then who told you such rubbish?"

"It's not in my job description to give that away," the journalist answered.

Hermione felt the urge to reach for her wand and wipe that stupid smile off of her face. "I suggest you rethink that." she warned.

Rita just chuckled at the woman. Hermione stood a small inch taller than her and sure, she knew of the woman's abilities, but Rita wasn't worried. After all, Hermione would only sink herself in deeper if she attempted anything.

"I don't have to take threats from a little trollop," she sneered.

Snape stepped forward. "Now you are out of line, Madam Skeeter," he warned, his voice suddenly dropping a register, "If you have even the slightest bit of sense in that thick head of yours, you would do well to never address Miss Granger in such a way again."

Rita seemed to grow slightly pale at the threat before she pricked her chin up defiantly and shrugged her shoulders. "Well then, I suppose I have more pressing matters than this to attend to," she told them, "If you'll excuse me."

And with that, she was gone.

O

Hermione was lying miserably in bed, staring up at the two concerned portraits of Candice and Burch. Their dog portrait was whining softly in pity for her. She just smiled sadly at them and shook her head, leaning one hand down along the side of her bed.

"It's alright, guys," she said, "I'll be okay."

"That wretched woman is positively dreadful!" Candice snapped, "She deserves to be punished for tormenting my Hermione!"

Burch rolled his eyes. "YOUR Hermione?" he muttered, "Will you stop being so ridiculous?"

Hermione laughed softly. Just then, the door opened and Snape stepped inside. She immediately hushed and looked over at him. He gave the portraits a foul look and cast a charm, covering them with the sheet once more.

"Miss Granger, I want you to know how sorry I am for what has happened," he told her, "This is precisely why I didn't want anything to happen. I was concerned for your own reputation as well as your peace of mind."

Hermione shook her head, feeling sick again. "No. I should have been more careful. It's my fault."

"Your fault?" Snape exclaimed, narrowing his eyes and furrowing his brow as if she had done something to displease him. Of course, it was the other way around, "Why would you blame yourself for this? You did nothing wrong."

She didn't respond.

He sighed and shook his head. "Try and sleep, Granger," he told her, "We'll talk about it more in the morning."

He turned to go, but her soft, almost inaudible voice halted him. "Stay."

Snape froze in the doorway and looked back at her slowly, his heart almost stopping. He couldn't see her eyes very well in the darkness, but he could feel her watching him and sense the pain that came from her gaze. He didn't want to oblige her, but he felt the ache pulling him in that direction.

"I must not..." he answered, his voice nearly betraying him. "You're don't-"

"I don't care," she whispered, "Just stay, please."

Snape stood like a stone statue and didn't move. Finally, he turned to her and nodded his head, speaking quietly. His eyes looked black in the faint glow of the torches in the hallway. "As you wish..." he answered.

Hermione smiled lightly and shut her eyes, ignoring her own rapidly pounding heart when she felt the weight of him settle behind her in the bed. He was tense, she could tell and she slowly reached behind her and took his hand, feeling a very small tremble in it before she placed it around her waist, holding it close to her face. She didn't know what she was doing or why she needed him here with her. She just felt that she did.

"Just stay," she pleaded again, her voice still very quiet, "Until I fall asleep..."

He was quiet behind her and she could feel his chest against her back and his legs against hers. But she couldn't see the look of torment on his face behind her.


	10. 10

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the end of the first chapter was borrowed from the film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out.

"The key to change... is to let go of fear."

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Ten**

_1993_

He was gone when she woke up the next morning.

Hermione felt refreshed and actually in higher spirits when she went to her Care of Magical Creatures class with Hagrid. Harry and Ron were already there and she was requested to help carry some of the ferrets for the half-giant.

"Don'tcha worry, Hermione!" Hagrid told her, as he led the class to a small paddock just on the side of the Forbidden Forest. "Today is a new day!"

She winced at the horrible smell of the dead animals hanging from her robes. "How so?" she asked, grimacing again.

Hagrid winked at her, but didn't answer before he turned to his new class. "Gather around class. Find yourself a spot. That's it," he told them, "Now, first thing you'll want to do is open your books to-"

The class stared at their monster-sized books with teeth and eyes. They were sealed shut with belts and were trembling violently in their hands. The books were entitled The Monster Book of Monsters and everyone looked cautious.

"And exactly how are we supposed to open our books, then?" Draco snapped.

Hagrid sighed and shook his head. "All you've got to do is stroke 'em. Look..." He took Hermione's copy of her book and snapped the belt off of it. When it hissed and attempted to bite him, Hagrid calmly ran his fingers down the length of its spine and it immediately calmed. "Right then. So now... You've got your books, an' now you need the Magical Creatures. Right. So... I'll... I'll go and get 'em."

He disappeared into the trees and Draco scoffed, speaking loudly to Crabbe and Goyle, making perfectly sure that everyone else heard him as well. "God, this place is really going to the dogs," he sneered, "Wait until my father hears Dumbledore's got this oaf teaching classes."

Harry glared at him menacingly. "Listen, you stupid little prat - " he began.

Draco looked beyond the Gryffindor's and pointed, feigning fear. "Potter, there's a Dementor behind you!" he gasped.

The Gryffindor's whirled as well as Harry-who looked terrified-and saw...nothing. The Slytherins made mocking "ooh" sounds and began to laugh. Harry went blood red with embarrassment and Hermione gave Draco a sly smirk before she sneakily slid a dead ferret into his hood. When he felt the hair of the dead animal, he gave a yelp of fright and reached in to get it out while the Gryffindor's shared a laugh of their own.

Then, Hargid reappeared before Draco could figure out that it was her doing and he was walking with a strange beast on a chain. It had the torso, hind legs, and tail of a horse, but the front legs, wings and head of a giant eagle. The students gasped and took a few steps back in fear. Hagrid smiled at them and gave the creature a small tug.

"Go on then, get up there!" he said.

No one offered any argument to that; it was truly a magnificent animal. But they were still very cautious around it. Hagrid coaxed the beast to the very center of the paddock and Ron was the first to speak, very uneasily.

"Hagrid," he said, "Exactly what is that thing?"

"A Hippogriff, of course," Hagrid answered, "Now, first thing you gotta know is that they can be very proud creatures. They can also be offended, so you have to know how to approach them. But don't worry, he can be real friendly! So, who wants to come say hello?"

The entire class stepped back, leaving Harry in the front of the line without the boy even realizing it before it was too late. Hagrid smiled.

"Ah! Good man, Harry!" he said.

Harry looked around at them in protest and then, he reluctantly approached.

"That;s it," Hagrid said, "Easy now. Walk slowly toward here's Buckbeak, Harry. You want to let him make the first move. It's polite, see? Just take a step forward, give him a little bow, and if Buckbeak bows back, you're allowed to touch him. Ready?"

Still unsure about the safety of it, Harry nodded anyway and took a careful step forward. Buckbeak cocked his head at him and eyed the boy very suspiciously at first. After a moment, Buckbeak ducked his head and the half-giant sighed with relief. "Well done, Harry! Go on," he told him, "Give him a pat."

Harry nodded and slowly reached out, resting his hand on Buckbeak's enormous, dangerous beak. The class clapped and Harry smiled. He looked at Hermione and she smiled back, delighted for him. Hagrid grinned and clapped as well.

"Look at that!" he said, "I reckon he might let you ride him!"

Harry's smile disappeared. "Excuse me?"

Hagrid picked Harry up and dropped him onto Buckbeak's back before he could argue. Before Harry could think any further, Hagrid slapped Buckbeak's hindquarters and the massive Hippogriff galloped forward with Harry yelling the entire way. Buckbeak's wings spread at his sides and with a mighty beat, they were airborne. The entire class watched the scene with amazement as Harry soared over the waters of the Black Lagoon.

After a moment, Hagrid whistled and Buckbeak slowly turned in midair, sailing back to the paddock where he slid to a halt in the grass. Harry slid down the Hippogriff's side and the entire class cheered for him, all but Draco. He narrowed his eyes furiously as Hagrid gave Harry a pat on the back.

"Good work, Harry!" he praised.

Hermione nodded in agreement. "You did good, Harry!"

The three grinned and then Draco pushed passed them roughly, striding toward Buckbeak with that arrogant stroll that he was so famous for. "Give me a go at that wretched thing. If Potter can do it, it must be easy for me, then!"

Hagrid turned in horror. "Malfoy! No!" he shouted.

Before anything could be done to stop him, Buckbeak reared up with a fierce squawk and his sharp, dangerous talons slashed down. The class gave cries of horror and shock at the action. Draco was thrown onto his back with a wail of pain and looked down at his arm at the blood flowing from a wicked gash. Hagrid stepped in between the creature and Draco before Buckbeak could bring his talons down again, holding out his hands.

"Buckbeak!" he warned, "Down!"

Hagrid took one of the many ferrets in Hermione's arms and tossed it through the air. Buckbeak captured the treat and munched contentedly on it. Draco groaned and rolled around in the grass, holding his bleeding arm.

"It's killed me! It's killed me!" he wailed.

Hermione shook her head and looked up at a worried Hagrid. "Hagrid. He's got to be taken to the medical wing! I'll go with you, if you like-"

He frowned. "No. I'm the teacher. You all... you all just...Class dismissed!" he told them. He scooped up Draco into his arms and lumbered toward the castle.

O

Hermione went with Hagrid anyway to the hospital wing while Draco's arm was tended to. Lucius Malfoy stood in the wing with them, looking very displeased. His blame was partially toward Dumbledore, but it mostly was to Hagrid.

"What were you thinking, you great oaf?" he snapped, "Bringing a wild animal to the children!"

"Now I can assure ya that Buckbeak's a good Hippogriff!" Hagrid told him, "The boy just-"

Lucius interrupted with a gruff snort. "Putting the blame on the victim!"

Hermione's eyes narrowed when she looked over at Draco, who grinned at the corner of his face at the sight of his father bringing Hagrid down several pegs. She glared at him and he caught her gaze before resuming the pitiful guise.

"I can assure you, half-breed..." Lucius warned, "That wild chicken of yours is as good as plucked!"

Hagrid moaned quietly as Lucius stormed off in a huff. He stopped when he noticed Hermione at the doorway and sneered at her. "Granger..." he acknowledged, even though it sounded rather rude to begin with.

"It wasn't his fault," Hermione told him, "Your son caused it."

"Very impertinent of you," Lucius drawled, "Perhaps I can add that to my testimony when I take that blundering fool to the Ministry."

Hermione glared at him and he smiled before brushing passed her and disappearing down the corridors. She grimaced with disgust at the sight of Draco laying his pain on thick for the other Slytherin's surrounding him.

O

Later that day during lunch, Hermione was immediately surrounded by various Gryffindor's. She looked up at them curiously. "Yes?"

"Why didn't you tell us that your birthday was yesterday?" Parvati asked.

Hermione chuckled quietly and shook her head. "Guys, I didn't want to make it a big deal..."

"Too late, we already did," Colin told her, grinning.

Hermione couldn't protest because they forced her to stand and tugged her out of the great hall to the Gryffindor common room. When she got there, she was surprised to find several colorful boxes sitting in front of the fireplace. Not many, but the fact that they had gone out of their way...

She smiled at them. "When did you do this?" she asked.

"Professor McGonagall told us that you were upset, so we went to Hogsmeade and picked up some things," Colin said.

"We don't care what they say, you're still our friend, Hermione," Katie told her, smiling.

Hermione tried to keep herself from feeling too emotional and ruining the moment. She sat down beside the fireplace and took a few moments to open. Lee Jordan had given her a box of the fines jelly slugs to which she ate almost completely. Katie had bought her a new Gryffindor scarf from the school shop and had her name engraved in the cloth. She was thrilled with everything that she received from her friends.

"Thank you all!" Hermione said, putting her arms around as many of them as she could, "The gifts were fantastic!"

Colin held up a box. "There's one more!"

Hermione studied the box with confusion; it looked like an old brown gift box that was wrapped in string. She looked at the others questionably.

"Who's is this?" she asked.

Katie frowned and studied the old box. "I don't know," she said, "I didn't leave it here."

Hermione shrugged her shoulders and opened it anyway, despite the fact that it had no tag. When she peered inside, she gasped and a hand went to her mouth. The others crowded around her with interest to see what it was.

"What is it, Hermione?" Lee asked.

Inside was a wrapped silver necklace with a pendant of an animal that resembled a raven. There were jewels that decorated the circle around the raven itself. She carefully picked it up and studied the obviously expensive - looking object.

"Who could have given me such a thing?" she exclaimed.

"Maybe a secret admirer?" Colin suggested.

Hermione studied the pendant for a moment before she slowly began to realize just who had given it to her. She stood up and gave the others a smile. "Would you excuse me for a moment?"

She walked down the entire corridors of the Potions hall before she stopped at Snape's classroom and instead of knocking, she pushed the door open. He was in the middle of teaching when he paused and looked up at the sight of her.

"Granger? You don't have my class this period," he said, giving her a stern frown.

"I need to talk to you," Hermione said, calmly.

"It will have to wait, I am in the middle of-"

"Now, please." Her voice came out harder.

Snape sensed that it was more urgent than he expected and he gave his class a dark look. "Is there something any of you wish to add?" he snapped, when they stopped reading to look up at them, "No? Then read chapter four until I get back! If I return and there is no reading, there will be points deducted for every page not read."

They immediately buried their heads in their books and Snape followed Hermione into the halls. Fortunately there were no students or teachers around.

"What is it that was so important that you had to interrupt me?" he snapped.

Hermione grabbed his arm and tugged him down the hall, even against his furious protests. She led him out to the courtyard where she stopped in front of the clock tower and turned, holding out the pendant to him.

"What is this?" she asked.

Snape's eyes landed on the object. "That appears to be a pendant Miss Granger."

"I know what it is!" she said, a little harsh than what she wanted, "I want to know why you gave it to me."

Snape sighed, as if it was no big deal. "It was your birthday and I simply wished to give you a gift."

"There's no way that it was cheap!"

"No. It belonged to my mother."

Hermione's eyes went wide. "Your mother?"

"That's right."

Hermione wavered slightly before she offered the necklace back to him. "I can't accept this, professor."

"Why not? It is mine to give to whom I please," Snape said, frowning at her. She detected a glint of hurt in his eyes.

"But you can't just give away something that had once been your mother's," Hermione protested, not seeing the point in giving away something so dear, "That doesn't seem right to me at all."

Snape took the object from her hand and gestured for her to turn around with a single twirl of his finger. She reluctantly did and felt the necklace slide onto her neck, brushing her hair aside before he clasped it on.

"It is better to have someone wear it than have it waste away in the darkness as she did," he told her, grunting slightly at the irritating clasp of the necklace.

Hermione winced and gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry."

"Never you mind," he replied, "It is my gift to you."

She managed a small smile and nodded her head. She had almost forgotten about the whole scandal that had started throughout the school between herself and Snape and almost didn't care that Filch was watching them from the shadows. Snape sensed him already though.

"Enjoying the view from the dark, Squib?" he growled, glaring in Filch's direction.

Filch shook his head rapidly and quickly rushed off. Hermione gave Snape a look. "You shouldn't treat him so badly, you know."

Snape chuckled quietly now. "Always so considerate for others," he murmured, "I don't know whether to call you foolish or kind."

She just laughed softly. Maybe he was right. About both parts anyway.

O

A tall wardrobe rattled violently in Lupin's classroom. Harry, Ron and Hermione eyed it warily as well as several classmates behind them. Lupin smiled at them.

"Hm. Who would like to take a guess what's inside the wardrobe?"

"A boggart..." Seamus said, entranced.

Lupin nodded his head. "Very good, Mr. Finnigan. That's exactly what it is. Can anyone here tell us what a Boggart looks like?"

Hermione's gaze also locked on the wardrobe. "No one knows." she answered, "Boggarts are shape-shifters. They take the shape of whatever a particular person fears most."

Lupin nodded his head. "Yes. That's what makes them so frightening. Luckily, there is a very simple charm that exists to repel a Boggart. Let's practice it now, shall we?" He held out his hands immediately. "Without wands, please..." Clearing his throat, he uttered the phrase. "_Riddikulus_!"

They repeated it back just as loudly.

Lupin nodded his approval. "Good. So much for the easy part now," he continued, "You see, the incantation alone is not enough to do it. What really finishes a Boggart off is... the laughter. You need to force it to assume a shape that you find truly amusing to you." He gestured to Neville in the front row. "Neville, come up here, will you?"

Neville warily eyed the wardrobe and took a few steps forward.

"What would you say is the thing that frightens you most?" Lupin asked.

Neville shamefully muttered. "Profter... Snafpt..."

Lupin tilted his head and leaned forward. "I didn't catch that, Neville, sorry."

"Professor Snape." the boy repeated, with a little more embarrassment.

The entire class laughed good-naturedly and Lupin couldn't resist his own chuckle of amusement as well. The only one who didn't laugh was Hermione. She looked a little affronted by the laughter even more so and Lupin caught that before he smiled at Neville.

"Hmmm... yes," he said, "Neville, I believe that you live with your grandmother?"

Neville nodded worriedly. "Yes, but I don't want the Boggart to turn into her either."

Lupin shook his head. "It won't," he assured him, "But I want you to picture her clothes, only her clothes, very clearly in your mind. Can you do that?"

Neville paused briefly before he answered. "Yes..." he said, warily.

Lupin shook his head at him before he gestured to the wardrobe. "Now, when I open this wardrobe, Neville, here's what I want you to do..." He leaned forward and whispered something into the boy's ear. His eyes widened and he looked at Lupin as if he were insane. "Alright? I want you to do just that. You can do it."

Neville nodded and took a deep breath. Lupin removed his wand and Neville slowly did the same.

"Right then. Wand at the ready," Lupin told him, "One. Two. Three!"

The doorknob on the wardrobe twisted at the silent spell and the door itself creaked open. Almost immediately, Snape appeared and stepped out. The entire class reacted slightly with surprise and Neville took a step back upon reflex.

"Think, Neville. Think!" Lupin hissed.

Neville raised his wand. "_Riddikulus_!" he cried.

Suddenly, Snape stumbled back and his black robes were replaced with a long, green and lace moth - eaten dress, a towering hat with a duck situated at the top and a red handbag. Instantly, the class roared with laughter-all but Draco and his Slytherins as well as Hermione. She looked slightly disgusted by the amusement, even if the Snape standing there was a fake. Neville blinked with amazement and slowly started to laugh himself.

Lupin caught Hermione's angry look, but he ignored it and attempted to lighten things up by dropping a needle down onto an old gramophone. A scratchy rumba filled the entire room. They formed a line and everyone took a turn to conquer their fears by turning them into humorous, comical forms. Hermione was next in line. When she stepped forward, Lupin looked at her with a concerned frown.

"Hermione, come forward," he said, "Now concentrate."

Hermione peered at the boggart, just as it transfigured itself into a perfect representation of McGonagall holding a scroll that had a bright red T printed on it. She grimaced at the horrible sight, remembering why she was afraid of it. But then, she felt a different fear. A darker fear that seemed to haunt her nighttime world. A fear that she remembered from the summer that had been invoked into the back of her mind.

Just then, the boggart began to change again, much to the shock of the rest of the class. It suddenly appeared as a smoking, humanoid shape that resembled Belial and uttered a wicked, horrible cackle, reaching out to her with two gnarled hands. Hermione raised her wand, but suddenly froze in her spot, staring into those glittering yellow eyes that she remembered from the summer. They bore holes into her head.

Finally, she raised her wand, despite the air being sucked out of her and pointed it at the false Belial. "_Riddikulus_!" she bellowed.

Belial disappeared and was replaced with a hot air balloon that darted crazily about the room, and then darted back into the wardrobe. The door slammed shut and the entire class cheered and clapped for her.

Lupin looked slightly haunted. "Well done, everyone. I think that's enough excitement for today."

O

"What the hell was that, Hermione?" Ron asked as they walked through the corridors.

"Belial," she answered, "Or at the very least, a representation of him."

Harry shrugged his shoulders and they stopped walking. "I take that the boggart was not as frightening as the real thing?"

She shuddered. "Exactly."

"What's he like, anyway?" Ron asked, interested, "A demon, I mean."

Hermione paused and Harry watched her eyes darken grimly. "It's like being in the presence of a Dementor," she explained, "Though a hundred times worse; it gets cold. There's no life, no joy or any form of love. Just cold...dark evil."

"Sounds like You-Know-Who," Ron remarked.

"No. Nothing like that," Hermione answered, shaking her head, "This is pure evil. In its ultimate form."

Ron and Harry looked at each other worriedly, stunned that there was something out there even worse than the Dark Lord. Hermione had a brush of death against the demon. They could only imagine what would happen if it had gone the other way.

As they were talking, several third year Slytherin girls walked by and took one look at Hermione before whispering to each other and giggling; they were obviously talking about very naughty things given their bright red faces as they departed. Ron rolled his eyes at their stupid gestures and Harry sighed skeptically, not entirely amused either. She watched them go with a glare and Harry gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry about them," he told her.

Hermione shook her head with dismay. "It's not me I'm worried about anymore," she said, "I was at first, I'll admit that."

"Don't tell me you're actually worried about Snape..." Ron groaned.

Hermione frowned down at him, but didn't answer.

O

Lupin was in the middle of grading papers when Hermione stepped into his office. He looked up and smiled when he saw her.

"Ahh! Granger. Good to see you," he said; he sensed that there may have been something wrong and looked slightly concerned, "Is something troubling you?"

"May I have a word, professor Lupin?" Hermione asked.

He leaned back and nodded. "Of course." He gestured to a chair in front of his desk. "Take a seat." Hermione sat down in the chair and he tapped his nails on the desk. When he spoke, he looked completely understanding. "You're worried."

"I am." The woman nodded.

Lupin's eyes seemed to glitter. "But not about yourself."

"No."

"Is it true then?" Lupin asked, with concern, "Have you and professor Snape been..." He trailed off and left it up for her to guess.

"Oh no!" Hermione told him, shaking her head, "No, I most certainly haven't been!"

Lupin nodded his head vigorously and held out a hand. "Alright, no need to get upset," he said, "I just wanted to hear the truth from your own lips." He tsked and shook his head now, making a displeased face. "You won't believe what kind of rumors children will spread."

Hermione felt sick. "I do believe that, sir."

"I'm sorry to hear that it's happened to you, Miss Granger," Lupin continued, with a look of sympathy, "It's horrible to think that one such as yourself has been subject to these lies."

She looked partially guilty this time. "Well, I won't say that it's all a lie..."

Lupin looked stunned. He studied her for a brief moment and then, his features darkened with understanding. "Oh God... Hermione tell me that it isn't true..."

Hermione eventually went on to explain everything to him and she immediately left out the part about Snape revealing his feelings to her while thinking that she couldn't hear so that he would not receive any backlash on it whatsoever. All the while, Lupin was listening with a very sick expression on his face. He didn't interrupt her at all and she almost wished that he would because it was maddening in silence.

"Hermione..." Lupin said, softly, "You cannot pursue this. You're still so young and - "

"I know!" she insisted, "Don't you think I know that?" She cut herself off and gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry, sir..."

Lupin shook his head. "Hermione, listen to me, please," he said, gently, "This will only end poorly. Snape has lost one person already. It would be terrible to think of him losing another."

She looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

Lupin suddenly looked guilty and he smiled then, quickly erasing the look and standing. "Never mind," he told her, "You should get to your next class. I myself have papers to finish before the fifth years get here."

He was pushing her toward the door gently, even against her protests. He shut it and she was left standing there in the hallway in stunned silence.

"I don't bloody believe this!" she snapped, to herself, "Has this whole school lost their minds?"


	11. 11

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the end of the first chapter was borrowed from the film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out.

"The key to change... is to let go of fear."

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Eleven**

_1994_

The fear of Sirius Black had reached a new height.

The students were left to sleep in the Great Hall while the teachers searched for the escaped prisoner of Azkaban. Hermione joined them in their search, even against their requests that she stay with the children. She decided to speak with the Fat Lady to see if she could get any information out of her.

"Pardon me, but what exactly did you see?" she asked.

The Fat Lady was hiding in a portrait of a water buffalo. Her eyes were wide and frightened. "Eyes like the devil he's got. And a soul as dark as his very name. It was him, I tell you! The one that they talk about. He's here. Somewhere in the castle. Sirius Black."

Hermione furrowed her brow. "Did you actually SEE him?" she asked, "It was awfully dark."

The Fat Lady glared at her. "I did not imagine it!" she shouted, startling the buffalo in front of her. "I would not have cut my own portrait!"

Hermione held out a hand. "I'm not saying you did..."

The Fat Lady made a rather unimpressed huffing sound. Hermione rolled her eyes and walked up to the portrait that she had once occupied. She studied the slashes briefly before leaning forward, noticing tiny clumps of hair hanging from the frame. She frowned thoughtfully before shifting into her fox form and scenting the patches of fur. Perhaps if she sniffed him out, she would have better luck finding him for the sake of the school.

Hermione ran down the staircase and followed the scent of the prisoner before she raced through the Entrance Hall and nearly bumped into Snape in the process. He was holding his wand in the air and it was glowing.

"Granger!" he barked, stunned, "I nearly hexed you! Are you mad?"

Hermione shifted back to human form and shook her head. "Professor Snape, I was following a trail."

He looked interested now. "A trail?" he said, "What kind of trail?"

"I don't know for sure," Hermione answered, "It smelled very foul; almost an animal smell, really."

Snape curled his nose in disgust and started back toward the Great Hall, depositing his wand into his robes. "That escaped menace would smell like that," he muttered, "The sooner we find him, the sooner he can be sent back to rot forever in that little cell."

"You certainly don't like this man, do you?" Hermione remarked.

Snape's eyes darkened. "I don't like many individuals, Miss Granger," he replied, "Didn't you already know that?"

The two joined Dumbledore in the Great Hall.

"I've searched the dungeons, Headmaster and Granger has taken the stairways. There was no sign of Black. Nor anywhere else in the castle." Snape told him, giving him a respectable bow of his head.

Dumbledore nodded gravely. "I didn't really expect him to linger for too long anyway."

Snape smiled slightly, though it didn't seem very friendly. "It was quite a remarkable feat, don't you think?" he continued, in a very low voice; he avoided stepping on a Ravenclaw student, "To enter Hogwarts castle on one's own, completely undetected..."

Dumbledore gazed across the hall to the students, refusing to take the bait that Snape was throwing in his direction. Hermione could sense that there was definitely something more to this than Snape was really letting on.

"You may recall, prior to the start of term, I did express my concerns when you appointed Professor-" Snape began again.

"I do not believe a single professor inside this castle would have helped Sirius Black enter it, Severus regardless of their past history together," Dumbledore interrupted, giving the other teacher a very stern frown. It made his eyes seem darker than usual. He returned his attention to the students. "No... I feel quite confident the castle is safe as is the students within. And I'm more than willing to let the students return to their Houses. But tomorrow. For now, let them sleep."

"What about Potter?" Snape asked, "Should he be aware of what's going on?"

Dumbledore smiled down at Harry. "Not yet, Severus," he replied, "Let the boy get some rest."

O

Hermione decided to return to her room for the night and she talked with Candice and Burch about what had happened.

"I cannot believe that he's gotten in here!" Candice cried, shivering, "He's going to come for us next!"

Burch rolled his eyes with dismay. "Candice, nothing's coming to get us."

Hermione chuckled at their squabbles while she paged through her book regarding Animagus transformations. She wanted to find out if a particular animal smell lingered around the Animagus if they were in human form.

"Black is here somewhere at Hogwarts," she said, her voice thoughtful, "We're going to find him."

Then, her door opened and Snape stepped inside. He gave the portraits an irritated look before turning his attention to Hermione. She still had yet to figure out why he didn't like the portraits so much, but that was for another time.

"I wanted to check on you," Snape told her, "If Black has truly infiltrated Hogwarts, he could return at any given time."

She nodded her head. "I've been practicing some body-binding spells," she replied, "If he does attempt another attack, I'll be ready for him."

Candice frowned at Snape. "You should be protecting her!" she cried, gesturing to Hermione, "She could be harmed and you're not-HEY!"

Snape covered the portraits with a simple spell before they could continue. Hermione gave him a look. "Why do you always cover them up?" she asked.

"They tend to pester me quite often on a daily basis with their ridiculous chatter," Snape answered, with disgust. He turned to go.

"Wait, there's something that I have to talk to you about," Hermione said, closing her book.

"What about?" Snape asked.

Hermione gestured to the edge of the bed and he slowly, very rigidly took a spot beside her. She sighed and seemed to be bothered by something, but he could sense that it was entirely different from the situation with Black.

"Professor, I want to ask about the other person you had lost," Hermione said, "Who was this person?"

Snape felt a cold stabbing sensation in his chest. She knew about Lily. Somehow she knew about it; only a few people knew about his feelings for the woman before she had been killed by Voldemort. So the only way she could have known was from them.

"Where did you hear about that?" he demanded, standing up and glaring at her furiously.

Hermione shrugged her shoulders and went tense slightly at the volume of his shout. "That doesn't matter, I just want to know who this person was to you and what happened."

"It's not your concern and it was not the right of whoever told you to speak of it!" Snape nearly shouted.

Hermione furrowed her brow. His face was slightly redder than usual when he was furious with something, but in this case she could not tell if it was of anger or embarrassment. She had no intention of causing such a reaction and she sensed that whatever had happened in the past, it must have been bad.

"Please, I didn't mean to-" she began.

Snape turned and furiously left the room without even giving her a second chance to speak. Hermione stood there with a sigh.

"Why do I even bother?" she said, removing the cloth from the portraits.

"Because you're too damn nice to that little brat!" Burch snapped, shaking his head, "He gets too many chances as far as I'm concerned!"

Hermione shook her head, folded the cloth and took a spot in her bed. "No, I don't think's he's been given enough chances."

O

Snape nearly drag Lupin to the Shrieking Shack later in silence. Though Lupin was rather happy to have someone take him to the shack that night, he wasn't entirely thrilled with the company itself given the fact that he knew something bothered Snape.

"Severus, something troubles you..." he said, when they approached the Whomping Willow.

Snape dragged Lupin underneath the tree and into the rotted, dilapidated shack, gripping his arm so tight, it almost started to hurt. "Tonight, I will brew your potion as agreed, but in the mean time, you will have to remain here for the evening while I continue class for you tomorrow morning."

He was ignoring him.

Lupin watched as Snape began to fix the iron shackles to his legs and arms. His movements were harsh and painful, as if he was attempting to hurt him in an intentional manner. He remained quiet for a moment and waited for Snape to finish restraining him.

"Severus..." he began.

Snape stopped and glared darkly at him. "You had NO RIGHT!" he finally shouted, "No right to tell her what had happened with Lily!"

"She didn't know who it was I spoke of, Severus," Lupin protested, withering slightly at the volume of Snape's angry shout, "And she has a right to be aware and cautious of what she is getting herself involved with."

Snape leaned forward and the faint glow of the moon through the cracks in the boarded windows reflected his furious features. "It was not your place, Lupin!" he hissed, "Never once have I seen a 'Marauder' do anything for the good of others but themselves!"

Lupin frowned, pained. "Severus, that was years ago, you know that!" he insisted, "And I've changed since then. You know that here's nothing-"

"Really?" Snape sneered, "How am I to know that I wasn't you who brought Black here? You were such close friends." He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth in a gesture of disgust. "It makes me sick just reliving those horrible memories."

Lupin's gaze darkened now, but he almost seemed guilty. "Never!"

Snape took a few steps back as Lupin pulled on the iron links. His features were slowly turning feral and monstrous in the moonlight. "Severus, please listen!" he begged, "She's just a child. I only wanted to help her understand!"

"You've done what the rest of your little groupies have done," Snape continued, his voice oozing with menace, "Made every possible attempt to turn them all against me."

Lupin's groan of protest melted away into a full-throated animal snarl. Snape turned and walked out of the room and Lupin's fierce roar pierced the night.

O

A heavy rain storm had started pouring down onto the Quidditch match. A jagged bolt of lightning ripped through the sky as Gryffindor and Hufflepuff players shot through the air. Two bludgers went flying skyward and the match was on. Harry was in pursuit of the snitch, his red robes whipping violently in the wind. A bludger whooshed passed him and then the second directly toward him. Harry quickly ducked aside to avoid it.

Later that day, Hermione was sent to help Filch with cleaning up the stands after the Quidditch match while it was still pouring. She was surprised when she was actually capable of striking up a conversation with the bitter man. They had started talking about Sirius Black and Filch didn't seem very terrified of the escaped prisoner. Hermione was surprised, but then again, Filch had mentioned that he had nothing to do with it.

Hermione carried a pile of splintered wood and tried to talk through the rain storm. "Where do I put this?" she asked.

Filch gestured to a pile in the field. "All broken wood...take it to that pile over there," he ordered, "Wood only. Put anything else in that pile over there." He gestured to another pile beside the wood that was of scraps of cloth and singed flags.

Hermione did as he said, nearly becoming thrown off of her feet from the wind. She dropped several pieces of wood and quickly gathered them, returning them to the piles. When she started to return to help Filch, something caught her attention and she froze, looking toward the Forbidden Forest. Something was standing there; a scraggly black dog. She frowned, squinting to see the creature better. It had harsh, yellow eyes and it showed its teeth.

"Mister Filch, look!" she said.

Filch peered into the direction that she was pointing, but when he did, the black dog was gone. "What am I looking for exactly?" he asked, giving her a skeptical grimace.

Hermione sighed and shook her head, still watching the forest. The black dog wasn't Snape, but something else.

Then, a bloodcurdling howl pierced through the air.

O

The following morning, Hagrid was standing knee deep in the shallows of the Lagoon, wearing a hairy brown suit and a hideous yellow and orange tie. He was flinging stones into the water and sending them skipping across the surface as big as his hand. Standing behind him was Hermione. She caught a brief look of his eyes; they were red with evidence of him crying. She had been looking for him all morning after receiving an owl about the hearing.

"How'd the hearing go, Hagrid?" Hermione asked.

Hagrid smiled weakly. "It went well," he told her, "Buckbeak liked London."

He didn't sound happy, so it must have ended badly.

Hagrid sighed softly. "Well, first we spent the first half hour talking about 'why we were here' and all that. Then, I got up and said my side- You know, how Buckbeak was a good Hippogriff and as long as you treated 'im with respect, he'd treat you the same," he explained, "Then Lucius Malfoy got up an' said his side - you know, how Buckbeak was a deadly dangerous beast that no teacher in their right mind should ever think of exposing the students here to..."

He trailed off and Hermione waited, dreading the inevitable answer.

"And...?" she said.

Hagrid hung his head and his voice broke briefly. "Buckbeak's been sentenced to death."

Hermione was horrified. She quickly found Ron and Harry after their class and told them everything. Ron seemed particularly furious by the judgement of the Ministry. Harry looked very disappointed as well.

"It's that git Malfoy who should get what he deserves, you know!" he snapped, "Buckbeak wasn't doing anything wrong. He was defending himself!"

Hermione knotted her brow. "We have to do something."

Harry looked up sharply in surprise. "Like what?" he asked, "Buckbeak's not some rabbit you can set loose to the wild. If we're seen..." Then, his eyes flickered briefly, an idea suddenly coming to mind. He slowly smiled. "I have a plan."

"What kind of plan?" Ron asked.

Harry took the two aside and they waited until the students were out of the third floor corridors. "What if we used the map?" he suggested, "Tonight. We can reach Buckbeak and set him free into the forest where he can never be seen."

Hermione looked stunned. "You still have that wretched thing?"

A guilty smile touched Harry's lips. "It could be useful," he pointed out, "It would help trace Sirius Black and capture him or-"

"Help you sneak around and get into more trouble?" Hermione finished, giving him a look.

Harry sighed and shook his head. "I was planning on having you with me, Hermione," he said, "This was your idea. And the only way we can save Buckbeak is if we do so while everyone is sleeping. With you next to me, you could simply pretend like I'm being sent to detention."

Hermione groaned. "If we're caught, there won't be any need to pretend..."

Harry smiled and nodded. "That's where Ron will come in."

Ron groaned. "I'm not going to like this, am I?"

O

The entire castle was asleep for the evening save for a few teachers prowling through the hallways. Harry and Hermione walked carefully down the dark corridors of the first floor. They studied the blank parchment of the Marauder's Map.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good..." Harry recited, pointing his wand at it. Just as Fred and George had instructed him to do.

The crooked corridors and serpentine passageways of Hogwarts suddenly appeared across the parchment like ink bleeding into it. Hermione murmured softly, obviously impressed with the detail and design of the map.

"Brilliant!" she said.

Harry grinned. "See?"

They slowly started forward again and raised their wands to cast _Lumos_ to light their way.

"This doesn't change anything, Harry," Hermione whispered, "I've already been in enough trouble for one day. When we're finished, the map is turned in."

"Fine then..." Harry muttered.

The two walked in silence, their wands glowing with white light. Harry couldn't resist the urge to glance side - long at the woman beside him.

"Say, uh, Hermione?" he began.

"Yes?"

"What was it like, waking up as an adult?" Harry asked, "Was it...?"

She raised her brows. "Was it what?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know... What was it like?"

Hermione's eyes darkened and the amused look disappeared. She seemed to stare off into space for the moment. "It was frightening," she answered, "I wasn't myself. Or at least, I didn't know who I was at first. It felt...strange and yet, now that I think about it, exciting."

"Exciting?" Harry repeated, in disbelief.

"In an unknown way," Hermione corrected herself, "You know what I mean."

Just then, Harry's eyes landed on the map. He frowned with confusion and stopped. There was a small dot that appeared with a name over it. It read: PETER PETTIGREW. He started moving again and Hermione looked down at what he was looking at.

"Pettigrew?" she read, "Wasn't he killed?"

Harry nodded, still focusing on the dot. "Yeah, I mean...I thought so..."

The dots HARRY POTTER, HERMIONE GRANGER and PETER PETTIGREW were drawing closer and closer to each other. The two watched the end of the corridor where Pettigrew was slowly coming toward them from. He was getting closer and closer, moving fast. They glanced down at the map and back to the corridor. When the dots were about to collide together, Harry and Hermione looked up again and noticed that they were now staring into their reflections in a mirror.

The two cried out, startled before they relaxed and glanced down at the map. Pettigrew had just moved past them both. They frowned in confusion and looked over their shoulders, casting their glowing wands into the darkness. On the map, the little dot labeled PETER PETTIGREW was continuing to move further away from them.

"Should we follow?" Hermione wondered.

Harry nodded. He had determination written all over his face. "Yes, let's-"

Just then, Hermione gave a soft gasp and gestured to the map. Harry looked again and noticed that another dot was quickly approaching the two. Labeled: SEVERUS SNAPE. Harry groaned in frustration and quickly pointed at the map.

"Mischief managed!" he hissed.

As the map disappeared entirely, Hermione hissed out "_Nox_" quick and their wands extinguished themselves of light.

Suddenly, Snape's wand brightened and he leveled it directly into Harry's face. "Speak of the devil himself. I was just discussing what should be done with you with the staff. What are you doing wandering about the corridors at night?" he snapped.

Hermione grinned weakly. "Professor Snape, I can explain-"

Harry interrupted her. "I was...I was...sleepwalking..." he lied.

A sneer crossed the corner's of Snape's lips and he tilted his head at the obvious lie. "Quite fascinating. I have never heard of anyone sleepwalking with another person."

Harry scowled indignantly, but said nothing.

Snape gave Harry a cold look and slowly lowered his wand; instead he gestured to Harry's pockets of his sweat shirt.

"Clean out your pockets." he ordered. When Harry didn't move, Snape spoke much more severely. "Clean out your pockets!"

After giving Hermione a helpless grimace, Harry finally did as he was ordered to do. He reached into his sweat shirt and slowly removed the map. Snape stared down at it and his eyes seemed to glitter in the shadows of his wand.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Spare bit of parchment..." Harry lied.

Snape raised a brow. "Really..." he said, "If it is so spare, then open it up." As Harry slowly opened the map, Snape then raised his wand to it. "Reveal your secret!"

To the horror of both Hermione and Harry standing there, words begin to appear on the map. Snape studied him, a sadistic half-smile on his lips. He cocked his head at Harry's uneasy expression and glanced briefly to Hermione before he spoke again.

"Read it."

Harry sighed with defeat and began to read the message on the map. " 'Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs offer their compliments to Professor Snape and'..." He trailed himself off and looked at Hermione for a split second.

"Don't look at her, she won't help you," Snape said, curtly, "Continue reading."

Harry raised his brows and finished without looking at the map. "...'and request that he keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business'."

Snape's smile disappeared. "Why you insolent little s - " he snarled.

Lupin suddenly appeared behind him and studied the situation with intrigue. "Professor...?" he said, interrupting Snape in mid - threat.

Snape whirled on him and smirked coldly at Lupin's somewhat sickly expression. He looked physically drained by normal standards. "Well, well. Lupin," he sneered, "Out for a little walk in the moonlight, are we?"

Hermione's brow knotted at the interaction.

Lupin ignored Snape and turned to Harry and Hermione. "Are you two alright?" he asked.

They nodded dumbly and Lupin gave Harry a stern look before Snape snatched the map fron Harry's hands. "No harm has come to them as of yet," he said, "I've just now confiscated a rather curious artifact from Mr. Potter. Take a look, Lupin. This is supposed to be your area of expertise."

Lupin took the map and studied it with an amused smile when a very poorly drawn piece of artwork resembling Snape with an abnormally large nose, huge buck teeth and a messy bit of hair on his head appeared and began prancing around the blank parchment.

"Clearly, it's full of Dark Magic." Snape hissed.

Lupin chuckled softly. "Now I seriously doubt that, Severus," he said, " It looks to me as if it merely insults anyone who tries to read it. I suspect it's a Zonko product." Snape reached out to take it, but Lupin pulled away. "Nevertheless, I shall pursue any believed hidden qualities that it could possibly posses. As you say, it's my area of expertise." He gave Harry and Hermione a look and gestured that they follow him. "Come then, you two."

Snape pointed his wand at Hermione with fury in his black eyes. She gave him a weak look as she followed Lupin and Harry to his office.

"I don't know how you've come to get your hands on this map, Harry," Lupin said, with anger in his voice, "But did you ever stop to think that if Sirius Black had found it..."

Lupin seemed absolutely furious with the boy.

"Hermione was with me, sir!" Harry insisted.

Lupin's eyes landed on Hermione now. "Go on then," he told her.

She nodded and gave Harry an apologetic smile before disappearing from the office. She could still hear Lupin talking. "How selfish can you be, Harry?" he said, though his tone was gentle this time. "Don't you think this poor woman has been through enough already?"

"She chose to come with me, sir!" Harry protested.

"Enough, Harry," Lupin scolded, "I will hear no more..."

They started talking more, but Hermione walked away before she would be tempted to eavesdrop any further.

O

The following morning, Harry, Ron and Hermione walked toward Hagrid's hut.

"Did you get detention?" Ron asked.

"No," Harry said, "Lupin spared the two of us before we could get into serious trouble."

"So what are we going to do about Buckbeak?" Ron asked.

Hermione moaned softly and shook her head. "They're going to kill him all because of that little brat, Draco!" she cried, "It's just not fair!" Finally, she paused and had an idea, a slow smile touching her lips. "I think I might have a plan. Tricky it is, but a plan."

Ron groaned. "Oh no, not another one," he said, "I haven't recovered from the last plan last year!"

The trio rushed down to Hagrid's hut. Buckbeak was sleeping in the pumpkin patch with a thick cord of chain wrapped around his neck. He didn't even seem to know what horrible fate awaited him very soon.

"Look at him," Hagrid murmured, still very teary - eyed, "He wouldn't hurt a fly."

"We'll stay with you too, Hagrid." Hermione told him.

Hagrid frowned sternly. "I don't think so, you three! I don't want you seeing something like this!" He turned now. "There's just one other thing..." Hagrid reached into a flour pot and removed the lid, pulling out a flour-covered Scabbars.

"Scabbers!" Ron cried, grinning, "You're alive!"

"Little fella was hiding out in my sugar bags." Hagrid told him.

Harry turned and looked out through Hagrid's window. He could see Dumbledore, Fudge and an Executioner were slowly approaching the hut. The Executioner was wielding an enormous axe over his shoulder.

"Uh...Hagrid?" Harry said.

Hagrid groaned and started to push them out of the back door. "It's almost dark! If anyone sees you out here, you'll find yourself in more trouble!" he told them, "Now get going!"

The front door suddenly shuddered from the force of the knocking. Harry and the other two took off out through the back door and Fudge, Dumbledore and the Executioner entered through the front, the instant that they had left. Hagrid miserably greeted them and Fudge started to talk about Buckbeak. Hermione, Ron and Harry watched the interaction from behind the towering pumpkins. Finally, Hermione jumped up.

"Now, Harry!" she hissed.

Harry immediately rushed into the patch where Buckbeak was lying. The Hippogriff studied him curiously and Hermione grabbed a few dead ferrets hanging from a large pike. Ron watched them with worry before he stared toward the window where Fudge was reading off of a decree paper. Harry was struggling to undo the thick chain that kept Buckbeak earthbound. When he finally managed to get it loose, he grinned.

Harry attempted to tug Buckbeak's chain to get him to move, but the Hippogriff refused to do so. "C'mon, Buckbeak. Come on..." Harry urged. "Please, you have to move!"

When Fudge started to step outside, Dumbledore ushered him back into the hut and Harry and Hermione sighed with relief. Hermione dangled a dead ferret in front of Buckbeak when he still refused to budge.

"Look at what I've got for you, Buckbeak!" she whispered, "A nice, dead ferret all for you if you simply move your feathery butt!"

Harry gave her an odd look but when he felt Buckbeak slowly starting to follow, he grinned and they led the animal away into the forest, just in time for the back door of Hagrid's hut to open. They froze in their spots, almost seen until Dumbledore directed their attention elsewhere.

"You know, Professor Dippet had those blackberries planted when he was Headmaster..." he told them, "They make a fine..."

Harry and Hermione led Buckbeak deeper into the forest with Ron tailing behind them, just in time. After feeling that they were at a reasonable pace, they stopped to catch their breath while Hermione fed Buckbeak some more ferrets.

"That was too close!" Ron sighed.

"What do we do now?" Harry asked, stroking Buckbeak's thick neck.

Hermione smiled. "We set him loose."

Ron leaned against a tree. Just as he started to relax, he gave a cry and dropped his rat. The other two turned to him in surprise and noticed that his finger was starting to bleed. He watched the direction that Scabbars was going, stunned.

"He bit me!" he cried, "Scabbars bit me!"

He jumped to his feet and quickly gave chase for his pet.

"Ron, wait!" Hermione cried.

She and Harry took off after him, completely forgetting about Buckbeak...


	12. 12

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the end of the first chapter was borrowed from the film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out.

"The key to change... is to let go of fear."

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Twelve**

_1994_

Ron fled after his pet until he reached the summit of the hills and disappeared over the top. Harry and Hermione followed behind, panting breathlessly. When they finally reached the top, Ron had captured Scabbars and was standing beneath a Whomping Willow tree. Their eyes widened in horror when they realized the danger that Ron was now in.

"Harry, this tree..." Hermione gasped.

Harry nodded his head before shouting out for Ron. "Ron! Run!" he shouted.

When Ron heard that, he whirled and fell right on his backside. Then, he looked beyond the two and gasped, pointing. His eyes widened in absolute terror. "Harry! Look out!" he cried.

Harry and Hermione turned and noticed that an enormous, pale, scraggly dog was standing just a few feet away. It was the very same one that Hermione had seen during the storm. This time, it had its teeth bared. It launched itself directly over him and toward Ron. Hermione quickly shot up and shifted into her fox form, quickly landing on the dog's enormous back. She sank her teeth into its back and it howled out with fury and flirted its head, tossing her off of its body in a brilliant flash of teeth. Hermione was back on her paws and immediately lunged for the dog again.

"Hermione, no!" Harry shouted.

Teeth and fur went flying and the dog disengaged from the fox with a snarl before turning to Ron and seizing the boy's leg in its teeth. He dragged him kicking and screaming toward the trunk of the Whomping Willow. harry immediately launched forward and grabbed Ron's hands, but he was also being dragged with Ron as the dog disappeared into the tree with the boy in its jaws. Harry struggled to pull back, but the dog was unbelievably strong.

Just then, Harry felt Hermione's hands on his ankles. "I've got you!" she groaned.

Much to their shock, all three of them were yanked harshly into the tree and into pitch darkness.

O

Ron was gone.

Harry struggled to regain consciousness and he immediately looked around. Hermione helped him stand and he removed his wand from his sweat shirt, casting an immediate _Lumos_ spell. When he did, he noticed that Hermione's neck was bleeding. Fresh red blood was trickling down her neck and soaking the collar of her robes.

"You're hurt!" he gasped.

She shook her head. "Just a scratch," she told him, "Don't worry about me. We have to find Ron."

Still looking somewhat concerned, Harry turned his attention to a long, snaking tunnel ahead of him.

"Where do you think this goes anyway?" Hermione wondered.

Harry grimaced. "I have a hunch..."

The two slowly made their way through the tunnel, passing roots that dangled overhead. They stopped at the end of the tunnel and looked up, noticing that there was a small wooden door just above them. Harry reached up and pushed it open. Once he climbed up into what appeared to be an old, decrepit room, he helped Hermione up as well. They spent a moment looking around at where they were; paper was peeling off of the walls and blotches of dried blood stained the wooden floorboards. Furniture was lying everywhere, torn to shred by what appeared to be large claws.

"This is the Shrieking Shack..." Hermione whispered.

Harry didn't answer her with a response of his own, instead he noticed a set of muddy dog prints on the floor, leading a trail through the dining area and stopped at a door that appeared to have been lit on the other side.

Harry whispered a spell and his wand-light dimmed. Slowly, the two approached the door with their wands at the ready. They exchanged a look and quickly pushed the door open. Ron was sitting up on a sagging bed, his foot covered in blood. He was shaking in terror and clutching Scabbars in his hands.

"Ron, you're alive!" Hermione cried.

"Ron, where's the dog?" Harry demanded.

Ron gestured behind them. "He's the dog, Harry!" he cried, "He's an Animagus!"

Harry and Hermione looked down and followed the dog prints on the floor toward the door where they had come from. A man was standing behind the door and he closed it with one hand. He was wearing ratty prisoner's clothes and no shoes. He had filthy, matted black hair and beard. His eyes were dark and pitiless and he had pasty white skin like that of a corpse.

Sirius Black.

"You..." Hermione gasped.

Sirius smiled, showing his teeth that appeared to be yellow and rotted.

"If you're going to try and kill Harry, you'll have to go through us first!" Hermione said, stepping protectively in front of Harry.

Sirius shook his head. "No," he told her, "Only one will die in this room tonight."

Harry snarled at him. "Then it'll be you!" he shouted, launching for the man.

Harry grabbed Sirius by the throat and they tumbled to the floor. He pointed his wand into Sirius' cheek and the man grinned up at him. He didn't seem the least bit terrified of his fate rather his eyes glittered madly.

"Are you going to kill me?" he hissed.

Harry nodded, his features brimming with pain. "Yes!"

Just as Harry raised his wand, Lupin suddenly charged into the room. "_Expelliarmus_!" he shouted.

Harry's wand was thrown out of his hands and skittered to the floor. Hermione looked up in shock and Harry stared at the teacher with equal confusion. Lupin gestured for Harry to move aside and he did without argue.

"Professor Lupin?" Ron gasped.

Lupin ignored them for a moment and smiled down at Sirius. "Well, well, well...Sirius Black in the flesh," he said.

After a brief moment of tension, Lupin smiled and reached out with one hand. Sirius took it and Lupin pulled the man to his feet. The other three watched in horror as they embraced each other as if they were old friends.

"No!" Hermione cried, "I trusted you! There's no way that-You damned werewolf!"

Ron and Harry looked at Lupin and then to Hermione in shock. "What?" they exclaimed.

Lupin looked at her harshly. His voice still remained even. "How long have you known?"

Hermione smiled angrily. "It was awfully convenient, don't you think?" she said, "Snape's little sneer in the hallway the other night, the essay that he set for us to complete and your missing class every month."

Lupin smiled and shook his head. His voice carried bitterness to it. "Well, McGonagall wasn't lying when she said you were the brightest witch of her class."

"Enough talk!" Sirius shouted, "Let's finish him now! I did my waiting and now I want revenge!"

Harry shook his head furiously and his eyes stung with tears of pain. He pointed a jabbing finger at Sirius. "It was you! You were the one who betrayed my parents!" he cried, "You're the reason that they're dead!"

Lupin turned to him now. "No Harry, he didn't betray them. It was someone else."

"Who?"

"Someone in this very room," Lupin continued, "Someone I thought was dead until just recently when you mentioned him in my office."

Sirius scoffed and shook his head. "He's as good as dead when I get my hands around his throat!"

Harry frowned. "What are you on about?" he demanded.

"Peter Pettigrew!" Sirius spat, as if even saying the name made him sick, "He's here with us! Right here in this very room!" He turned his attention to Ron, who immediately cringed back from his demented stare. "Come on out and play, Peter! I won't hurt you too much!"

"He's bloody mad!" Ron cried.

Lupin handed Sirius his wand. "Do it..." he told him.

Eagerly willing to the task, Sirius took the wand. Harry noticed that when he did, Scabbars began to squirm violently in Ron's hands. He frowned curiously and began to realize that something was starting to make sense. Until...

"_Expelliarmus_!"

The wand in Sirius' hand went flying to the floor and they turned, seeing Snape standing in the doorway. He was smiling smugly at the scene before him, most particularly at Sirius, who immediately tensed where he stood.

"Ah, how lucky am I?" he hissed, "How I hoped I'd be the one to catch you." He advanced menacingly and thrust his wand into Sirius' cheek. "Vengeance is sweet!"

"Severus, just listen - " Lupin began.

Snape's eyes hardened at him. "I had told Dumbledore you had been helping your old friend into the castle," he snapped, "He didn't believe me. Oh, but now I have the proof to send the two of you away forever!"

Sirius laughed curtly and shook his head with a mocking grace to his stance. "As brilliant as you boast, Snivelly, and as always dead wrong!" he spat, "Now we have some unfinished business to attend to, so if you don't mind-"

When Sirius drew closer, Snape nearly stabbed his wand into his neck. "Just give me a reason, Black..." he hissed, his eyes flickering with black fire, "I beg of you. Give me a reason."

Lupin groaned and attempted to step between them. "Severus, listen to me!" he pleaded, "Don't be such a fool!"

"Naturally you two would know all about that!" Snape hissed, "Always hanging around together like an old married couple. The criminal and his howling little plaything."

"Piss off." Sirius spat.

Snape just continued to smirk at him. "Tell me, Black; will you still have such a witty personality when I bring you to the Dementors?" he said, watching as Sirius reacted with a brief look of fear, "Oh, how unbearable that must be to endure their Kiss."

Harry didn't know what to do. He had to try something because if Sirius had an idea of who had turned his family over to Voldemort, there was no way that Snape would let him hear that. He quickly grabbed his wand from the floor and pointed it at Snape before anyone could react.

"_Expelliarmus_!" he shouted.

Snape went flying through the air and hit the wall with a painful thud. He slid to the floor and was still. Hermione's eyes widened in horror and she immediately ran to his side to check his condition. She looked up at Harry in shock.

"Harry, you just attacked a teacher!" she cried.

Harry ignored her and turned to Sirius. "You mentioned Peter Pettigrew," he said, "Who was he?"

"A friend at school!" Lupin explained, "We thought he was anyway."

"But he's dead," Harry insisted, gesturing to Sirius in the process, "He killed him and the map-"

"Never lies!" Black finished. "Peter is here!" He pointed directly at Ron. "Right there..."

Ron paled where he sat. "Me?"

Sirius groaned and shook his head with irritation. "Not you, idiot boy!" he snapped, "Your rat!"

Harry began to collect his thoughts regarding Ron's pet. The rat had a missing toe and all that they were able to find of Peter Pettigrew was a missing finger. He frowned down at the squirming rat in Ron's clutches.

"Yes! That damned dirty coward cut off his finger so everyone would think I killed him and all that was left was that little digit of his!" Sirius hissed, "Now then, let me show you!"

Sirius grabbed Scabbars out of Ron's hands and Lupin raised his wand. They cast a silent spell and suddenly, Scabbars vanished. In his place stood a man with a balding hairline, grubby hands with long, nasty fingernails and large teeth. He looked at each and every face and sniffled for a few moments before grinning nervously. Hermione, Ron and Harry could only stare back at the fat man with shock and disgust.

O

It was night when they eventually emerged from the gap of the Shrieking Shack. Peter was pleading with them to show mercy. Sirius helped Harry out of the trunk and they gave each other a very uncomfortable smile. Peter was struggling against Lupin who aimed his wand at him.

Sirius gave Harry a small smile. "That was brave of you," he told him, "Sparing Pettigrew. You know he doesn't deserve it."

"No," Harry agreed, "But he'll find justice. If he dies, the truth will also."

"True..." Sirius said.

Suddenly, Hermione's voice broke the silence between them. "Harry!" she cried.

Sirius and Harry turned in the direction of her pointing toward a large full moon in the night sky. Lupin slowly looked to where she was pointing. He suddenly went rigid where he stood and his blue eyes darkened into an unholy yellow. Sirius immediately went to his side and wrapped his arms around Lupin, whose teeth began to lengthen into fangs.

"Remus!" he gasped, "Did you not take your potion?"

Lupin's body rocked like an earthquake and he stiffly shook his head. His hand shook and he dropped the wand. Peter made a dive for it and pointed it at them, but Harry acted fast and expelled the want from his grip. Peter flashed him a sick little grin and before they knew it, he disappeared and in his place was that same old rat from before. It immediately took off down into the grass and disappeared from sight.

"Run!" Sirius shouted back at the three, "Now!"

But they couldn't move; they could only stare in mute shock as Lupin's entire body popped and shifted, his features elongating into a larger, fanged snout. His human body disappeared beneath thick layers of gray fur sprouted up. With an inhuman roar, the now fully transformed werewolf tossed Sirius from him. Harry, Ron and Hermione stepped back carefully as the werewolf turned his attention to them with a blazing look.

"P-Professor?" Hermione stammered.

The werewolf tossed his head back and let loose an ear - splitting howl before slowly starting to advance on them. Just as they turned to run, Snape appeared from the trunk, furious as ever from the attack on his person.

"Potter!" he spat, not seeing the werewolf behind him just yet, "Just wait until-"

The werewolf rose up onto two legs and roared. Snape whirled with shock and when he saw the creature, he immediately stood protectively in front of them, pressing them as close as he could. The werewolf reared back and swiped its claws at the teacher, slashing him across the chest. Hermione gave a shrill cry as Snape went down. Blood began to form a wicked crimson pool on his chest and around his neck.

"Oh God, professor!" she cried.

When the werewolf reached up to attack again, an enormous black dog dove right in between them. They hit the ground in a fierce tangle of flashing teeth and limbs. The dog yelped in pain as the werewolf threw him into the tall grass. It charged after Sirius and Harry immediately gave chase.

"Sirius!" he shouted.

"Harry, don't!" Hermione cried.

Hermione made and attempt to follow, but Snape hand gripped her wrist and he spoke through a mouthful of forming blood.

"No..." he groaned.

Hermione looked up at Ron desperately, removing her cloak and pressing it tight to Snape's chest. "Go after him, Ron!" she cried, her features filled with despair and pain, "I have to get him to the hospital wing!"

"But-" Ron protested, too terrified to really desire pursuing a werewolf.

"Go!" Hermione shouted again.

Ron immediately bolted into the forest to pursue Harry.

O

He was so heavy.

Hermione groaned as she struggled to carry Snape back to the castle on her shoulders. His feet dragged in the grass behind her. She had made every attempt to wrap up his bleeding slashes with her cloak to put pressure on them to stop the bleeding. He mumbled weakly and Hermione continued to talk to him to keep him conscious.

"Sorry professor," she groaned, tears of frustration stinging her eyes, "You're just so heavy and I can't-"

He mumbled something that she could barely hear.

"Hermione..." he whispered.

Hermione gave a frustrated cry and nearly stumbled, but she pushed herself forward toward Hagrid's hut. If he could help her get to the hospital wing; she only hoped that he was still awake right now after so much time had passed. When she arrived, she beat on his door with a weak fist, but luckily, she didn't have to wait for much longer because he opened the door, staring at her with wide, somewhat angry eyes.

"What in the name of Merlin have you been up to?" he demanded. He noticed Snape and then saw bits of blood dripping from the man's robes and began to realize that there were more important things right now. "I'll take him to Madam Pompfrey!"

Hermione watched in surprise as Hagrid literally scooped Snape up into his arms. She followed him as he carried the weak man up to Hogwarts. He surveyed the damages by peeling back the blood - soaked cloak and winced in disbelief.

"If I'm not mistaken, these look like werewolf scratches..." he said.

Hermione was almost crying. "Is he going to be okay?" she asked.

Snape winced sharply in pain. "That...hurt you...bloody...oaf..." he groaned, glaring weakly up at Hagrid.

Hagrid chuckled dryly at the comment. "No, you're the bloody oaf right now," he answered, good - naturedly, "But don't worry; we're going to get you help."

Snape's eyes weakly focused on Hermione. He stared at her or rather stared through her. "H - Hermione..." he whispered again.

Hermione could still feel his blood on her back and she shook her head. "Don't talk you fool."

"I'm...sorry," Snape hissed, clenching his jaw in pain, "I never should have..."

Hermione knew what he was trying to apologize for. It seemed very silly to even be considering talking about that right now. "Professor Snape, you don't have to explain yourself. I understand," she protested, shaking her head in disbelief.

Hagrid stared down at them sympathetically.

"N-No...I do..." Snape continued, and it seemed like he was putting forth great effort to do so; it was either his wounds or just his pride, "I've always..." He cut himself off and shut his eyes with another sharp hiss of pain.

Hagrid sighed and gave him an amused smile. "Don't go and die on me now, Severus," he told him, "We're almost there."

O

Madam Pomfrey was horrified by Snape's condition, but assured everyone there that he would not become a werewolf given the fact that he had not been bitten directly. Hermione was immensely relieved by this news.

"My dear, what happened here?" Pomfrey asked, investigating Hermione's bleeding throat.

It had become slightly numb, but she had almost forgotten all about it. Pomfrey immediately went to work mending the bite on her throat. Hermione couldn't take her eyes off of Snape lying there in bed, his entire chest stitched up from his scratches. They traveled slightly up to the side of his neck. He wasn't moving, but she could barely see his chest rising and falling slowly as he slept. A light smile touched her features. She had never seen him sleep before and realized his...serene he appeared to be.

"Miss. Granger, he's going to be fine," Pomfrey assured her, "I will be here to tend to him. He's going to be in some pain for a while, but I've created a nice relaxing tea for him when he wakes up. I promise you that will help."

"May I stay?" Hermione asked her.

Pomfrey gave her a strange look, reading the level of desperation in the other woman's eyes before she smiled with understanding and nodded. "Of course..."

Hermione smiled with relief and took a chair beside Snape's bed. She watched his eyelashes flutter slightly and chuckled softly to herself. Then, she reached into a bowl of water where Madam Pomfrey had placed a wet rag. She gently rung it out and patted Snape's forehead for a few moments to keep him cool. Then, Hermione stopped and tilted her head. His lips were partially open and she couldn't resist the interest to gently move the rag over his bottom lip. When she realized that it started to feel like too-intimate a move, she pulled her hand away.

Snape's eyes slowly fluttered open and he turned his head toward her. The action brought their faces closer than she had expected and she pulled away somewhat, propping her head onto her elbow to look at him on a much more comfortable level.

"What happened with Lupin?" Snape asked, his voice oddly hoarse.

"He's run away into the forest," Hermione told him, patting his cheeks some more, "Dumbledore told me that Harry and Ron are okay. Nothing has been said about Sirius yet. He's locked away in the dungeons as far as I know."

Snape watched her hand as if it were a dangerous object. "Miss. Granger..." he began.

She smiled gently at him. "Stop with the formalities," she chided, "It's just you and me here."

He cleared his throat and nodded numbly at that, though he didn't entirely seem to approve. Then, he winced and struggled to sit up, but the pain was far too intense and he slumped back down into the bed.

"When Lupin returns to his normal state of affairs, I will kill him for this..." he growled.

Hermione frowned down at him thoughtfully. "Why did you save us out there?" she asked.

"It's my job," Snape told her, "I'm supposed to look out for the students."

Hermione smiled now. "You're a brave idiot, you know that?"

He rolled his eyes and snorted a laugh. "Spoken by someone who knows."

The two laughed slightly at that, though it didn't really help to ease the sudden tension that grew between them. The smirk faded from Snape's face and then, Hermione frowned with him, a slightly confused look on her face. Why did he suddenly look like that?

The temperature in the room grew drastically warmer between them and she felt the pull tug at her first. She leaned down toward him and could hear his breathing stop entirely. She could smell wet grass in his hair and mud as well as the sweet, honey - scented soap that Madam Pomfrey had used to clean him up. Her mind screamed at her that this wasn't happening, but the many other thoughts overrode them entirely until her lips were already on his.

Hermione's mind began a rapid tunnel down into unknown territory and she could hear him moan quietly against her lips. He reached up with two hands and cupped her cheeks. Her mind just disappeared and the world around her with it and all that she was aware of was the sensation of his warm, dry lips against her own. The feelings racing through her chest and all through her legs frightened her, but it also intrigued her at the same time.

When they finally pulled away only slightly to catch their breath, she opened her eyes and noticed a pained expression filled with need on his face. His eyes were closed.

"This...isn't right..." he breathed.

"I don't care." Hermione protested, her voice a gentle gasp.

Snape's eyes opened and she saw that same look from the Great Hall. The same that had made her blood burn hot. "Why?"

She gently pushed back his bangs behind his ears and noticed the moon-shaped scar from when she was a fox and had bitten him. His eyelids fluttered against the prickling sensation that started from his forehead and ended at the back of his head. The gesture made him look vulnerable which was still very strange for her to see given the fact that she was used to seeing him so stoic and very cold when it came to emotions.

"Why not?" she asked, gently stroking his face with a very light caress.

Snape inhaled deeply to calm himself. "What about your reputation?" he said, "Everything that pestilence Skeeter has said will be true."

"So it will." Hermione said, shaking her head, "I'm not a fool. The way I see it, my reputation is already messed up. I might as well enjoy myself and so should you."

He looked pained and shut his eyes, leaning his head back. "You give me more credit than I deserve..."

She chuckled and patted his head with a gentle hand. "Get some sleep," she told him, "We'll talk about it tomorrow." When she stood up and started for the double doors, she paused and looked back at him curiously. "Does this mean I can start calling you Severus now?"

His eyes seemed to flare somewhat before he smiled and nodded. "Whatever you feel happy with."

Hermione smiled back and she almost ran down the corridors that night screaming for all the world to hear. Now that she had actually kissed him, she had a feeling that it felt perfect. That something that she had been missing finally connected.

It didn't matter who said otherwise.


	13. 13

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the end of the first chapter was borrowed from the film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out.

"The key to change... is to let go of fear."

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Thirteen**

_1994_

"Drink it."

"No, it smells absolutely foul."

"You have to drink it."

Hermione spent the next several hours attempting to make Snape drink the tea that Madam Pomfrey had brewed for him to help with his pain. He had a point and the tea did smell pretty horrible; like a dragon's hide that had been left to dry in the sun for too long. But he was also in a lot of pain and complaining about it constantly. She didn't know what else to give him to help ease his pain any more than the tea.

"Just try it, please?" she pleaded, giving him a sweet look.

Snape rolled his eyes. He had summoned enough strength to sit up in his bed and he wasn't going to fall for her little sob eyes. "If I take a little sip of that wretched substance, will you please stop making those eyes?" he snapped.

She grinned and nodded. "It wouldn't hurt your chances," she teased.

He grimaced and made a displeased sound before taking the hot cup into his hands. He brought it to his lips and delicately sipped it. When he did, she watched his features turn sour and he groaned with disgust, licking his lips. She could only laugh at his appearance and made an attempt to hide it in her hand. He glared at her, partially amused and partially just annoyed by her laughing and his own condition.

"Yes, how amusing..." he muttered, "Let's all laugh at Severus."

Then, they looked up at the sight of Lupin, Harry and Ron walking into the hospital wing with Madam Pomfrey leading them over. Snape immediately tensed where he stood and gave Lupin a murderous look. Hermione didn't catch that because she was already rushing to Harry and Ron. They nearly bombarded her with various stories about Sirius, the Dementors that had attacked Harry and how they had gotten away.

"What happened to Sirius?" Hermione asked.

Harry caught Snape's eye before he leaned forward and whispered in Hermione's ear. When he was finished, she looked down at him in shock. "You what?" she cried.

Harry clasped a hand over her mouth before she could continue and glared at her with a pleading look. "Please, don't say anything to anyone," he begged, "Sirius deserves a second chance. He's the only family I have left. PLEASE."

When he pulled his hand away, she nodded gravely. "Don't worry, I won't say a word, but really Harry..." she said, shaking her head now, "That was really dumb to go out there and risk your life. Especially with Ron."

Ron frowned in protest. "Are you saying that I'm danger prone?"

Hermione just smiled and shook her head. While the three talked aside, Snape and Lupin took the moment to engage in their own conversation. He even ignored the foul taste of the tea while Lupin was talking.

"Severus, I'm being let go," Lupin said, his eyes filled with sadness, "I cannot forgive myself for putting you or any of the children in harms way, but was it so important for you to fullfill your petty revenge by revealing my secret to the school?" When Snape didn't answer, Lupin's features of sorrow disappeared into anger that he tried to keep low in front of the others who were inside the medical wing, particularly Hermione, Ron and Harry. "Are you so hell-bent on this ridiculous childhood?"

Snape's eyes darkened venomously. "You did nothing, Remus," he hissed, his voice low and cold as ice, "You are just as guilty as the rest of the flock was. Why should you have any right to any leniency from what you've allowed to happen. And to add insult to injury-" He gestured to his mangled chest, "-you would dare come in here with your tail between your legs and beg for forgiveness? Why should I even consider offering you forgiveness for this?"

Lupin's anger disappeared and he sighed, shaking his head. He straightened and gave Snape a very stony look. "I had only hoped that you would have grown up a little bit," he snapped, "James had grown up, but it seems that you have yet to do so..." He gave Snape a half-nod and turned to go. Before he did, he looked back at him and shook his head with an irritating level of sympathy. "I hope things change for you, Severus."

Finally, he was gone.

O

Hermione was actually very relieved to be going home to rest after a mad year at Hogwarts. She carried her owl and cat to the train and Ron was grinning excitedly by the sight of his new pet, his own owl, Pigwidgeon. Magdalene snapped at Pigwidgeon's cage with an angry hiss. The other smaller own screeched up and raised his wings in a poor attempt to look frightening, but failing miserably. Magdalene started to preen her feathers.

"Your owl's such a princess, Hermione..." Ron said, sarcastically. He paused and shook his head before considering this and then he added rather miserably. "Though Pigwidgeon isn't exactly the king of owls himself."

"You should be happy that Sirius gave you the owl," Hermione pointed out, "It was a thoughtful gesture."

Harry smiled in agreement as they began to pile onto the train. "Yes, and now that he's here in my life again, things will be different."

Hermione frowned thoughtfully. "How so?"

"I get to go to Hogsmeade!" Harry told her.

Ron arched his brows. "Well, you've got the map back, so I don't see how that would have made a difference."

Harry sighed. "That's not the point Ron..."

Hermione could see Snape standing among the crowd of students, talking with McGonagall about something. He was limping somewhat in his steps, but she was glad to see that he was better after that dreadful attack. She knocked lightly on the glass a few times after McGonagall departed. He noticed after the first seven knocks and turned, looking straight at her. She gave him a secretive, two-fingered wave and he tilted his head at the gesture before he glanced both ways, making sure that no one could see. She actually giggled softly at that; he was such a man of pride. When he was seemingly satisfied, he gave her a very quick wave as well.

He mouthed something that she couldn't understand and frowned, shaking her head in confusion. Snape made an impatient face and quickly raised his left hand out like a piece of paper and mimed writing something down. She still didn't catch on and he saw that in the dumbfounded look on her face and gave her a very frustrated look before taking a spare bit of parchment from the conductor's hands outside and began scribbling something down onto it rather hurriedly. The conductor gave him a protesting yell that she couldn't hear and Snape shot him a glare before he approached the train window and held up the paper to her.

_I will write you this evening._

Hermione had never gotten a good view of his handwriting before; it was very formal script writing. She gave him a very thrilled smile and nodded her head. Snape rolled his eyes at the gesture and stepped away from the train after incinerating the parchment in his hands. She watched him go with another giggle and Harry and Ron caught it.

"What's so funny?" Ron asked.

Hermione looked embarrassed. "Nothing."

O

Hermione was on pins and needles waiting for Snape's letter. She realized that he had never sent his owl before, so she was rather curious about that. Her mother had noticed a bizarre change in her behavior that she had made every attempt to cover up.

"I know that look; you've got a crush on someone, haven't you?" she asked, smirking devilishly.

Hermione blushed and didn't realize it. "It's not that serious..."

Her father stood in the kitchen and gave Hermione that typical father look. "I hope he treats you right, Hermione," he said, "If not, I'll have to find an excuse to use my old hunting rifle stashed away in the attic."

She threw her hands in the air. "Dad! Come on!" she protested.

Later that evening, Hermione received a letter from Snape...tightly clutched in the claws of the largest Eagle Owl she had ever seen. It was black with bright yellow eyes and white tips on the ends of its wings. When she took the letter and opened it, the Eagle Owl started to hiss at Magdalene who simply hissed back and did not back down from the much larger owl in her presence. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Hey, no fighting you two!" she scolded.

She turned her attention to the letter:

_Dear Hermione Granger,_

_The owl's name is Gideon. Forgive his impertinence; he does not enjoy the company of others and rarely is he introduced to another person. A cruel parody of myself, I'm afraid. I do hope that your parents are not giving you trouble for his squawking._

_I have sent this letter to explain a few things that I had little time to do so today. When I came to your house that day on Christmas vacation, it was purely upon Dumbledore's request. Though he did mention that I should look out for you, I felt it necessary to do so in my Animagus form. I would like to apologize for the fright that I had given you in the process. I had hoped to get somewhat of a glimpse of you before I left after scanning the area around your house. How truly perverse am I for such a thing?_

_I was frightened of myself. Dumbledore actually never made the request for me to do so. I willingly volunteered for it. I had spent so long away from you and merely wanted a moment's glance. When you came outside, I confess myself frightened. I felt like a little schoolboy again, not knowing what to say to a lovely young woman. I never was really good at it to begin with, if I may add... My remaining in my Animagus for is evidence of that._

_I was also very selfish when I protected you from Lupin. I had no thought for the others but you and you alone. I had sworn to protect the children, yet you were the only thing that I could think of who needed saving. Forgive me..._

_I could never say it around you during the moment in the hospital that we shared, but I do care for you, Hermione Granger. More than you know. It is precisely that reason why I wanted you to keep away from me. I felt that if you were near, I would steal away the last remaining shred of innocence that you have left. But it seems that the Gryffindor in you prevents you from keeping away regardless of what I say anyway._

_I am also enclosing something else for you. Take some time to consider it before answering. I do not want to rush you into anything._

_Best Wishes,_

_Severus Snape_

Hermione felt her chest heating up from the confession in the letter, but her curiosity overrode that as she reached into the envelope and removed a ticket to a theater showing of an opera. Hermione smiled gently to herself. He was trying to ask her to go with him. She grinned down at Crookshanks who was lounging on the desk with a bored look on his face. His tail swished back and forth and he glared up at Gideon. The owl hissed at him, but Crookshanks saw no reason to fight.

"Should I go with him, Crookshanks?" she asked.

The cat yawned in response.

Hermione quickly scribbled something down on a bit of paper and placed it into Gideon's talons. The owl quickly took off out through her window and across the skies to Spinner's End, Cokeworth, a gloomy, and nearly abandoned town filled with old brick buildings and a run - down mill. It stopped at a single open window and landed onto the desk of Severus Snape. He gave the owl a look of dismay and removed the paper from its talons.

"Go on then, you fat ball of feathers..." he snapped, shooing the bird off of his desk.

When he unwrapped the paper, he barely cracked a smile.

_Dear Severus Snape,_

_I want you to know that I understand perfectly. You have your flaws and I won't hold them against you in any way. So long as you make an effort to change, I think I can overlook anything negative that you may have done in the past or any other transgressions that you feel have cursed you for eternity in some way._

_And your answer is yes. I accept your proposal._

_Signed,_

_Hermione Granger_

Snape smiled at her message. He stood up from his desk and blew out the candle that lit his room, casting it into darkness.

O

Hermione awoke in the middle of the night to a clap of thunder. She was covered in sweat and looked up at the sight of heavy rain pelting her window. Magdalene was shuddering in her cage and squawking loudly, her eyes wide in some form of primal fear. Hermione slowly started to get comfortable again until an eerie screeching sound in the distance snapped her eyes wide open. Hermione slowly and uneasily sat up in bed, peering out through the rain, drenched window into the night. There was nothing outside as far as she could see, but she wasn't taking any chances.

She climbed out of bed and slipped on her slippers before taking her wand in hand and slowly walking out of the room. She peered down the hallway, occasionally lit up by the flashing lightning outside and very slowly walked out into it. Crookshanks had been sitting on the couch and when he saw her approach, he stood up and stretched, flexing his large claws before sitting up and growling softly in anticipation for food.

"Crookshanks, no," she whispered, "It's too early."

The cat was bored with that comment and hopped down, trotting into the kitchen anyway. Hermione smiled with relief, thinking that the sound itself had just been Crookshanks yowling for something to eat.

"I need to sleep..." she muttered to herself.

Suddenly, Crookshanks arched out his entire back and let loose a loud, bone - chilling hiss. Hermione jumped and turned; Crookshanks was standing by the back door, hissing at it. She approached the cat and bent down to pick him up, but Crookshanks yowled again and she stepped away.

"What is it, Crookshanks?" she asked.

She stared out through the window of the back door, seeing nothing but woods through a veil of pouring rain. Whatever it was, Crookshanks could sense it there and now that she stood and focused, she could feel something there too.

_"Hermione..."_

The voice had come back again but this time, she felt an overwhelming sense of warmth instead of cold. A slow and very welcoming feeling washed over her; a very gentle sense of peace. She felt her legs move forward and her hand slowly grip the handle of the door. Crookshanks ducked as her wand fell onto the floor and she slowly stepped out into the rain. Hermione walked like a puppet through the mud and grass in her bare feet, smiling dreamily. Through her vision, she could see beautiful trees, chirping birds and a lovely morning sun.

_"Yes...come to me, Hermione..."_

The voice sounded so far away, but so welcoming and kind. She was no in control of her actions nor her movements, but things just felt natural to her. It was as if she was a puppet on strings walking into the rain but none of that even mattered.

Hermione shuffled her way into town, crossing the street as cars zipped by her, their drivers angrily blaring their horns. She chuckled softly, the illusion before her a happy, peaceful sight of paradise. She was walking into a park. In her vision, she could see someone standing at the end of a sharp cliff. He was wearing all black and staring down at something. From what she could tell, it looked like Snape with his back to her.

"Severus?" she called.

In reality, Hermione was approaching the center of the park, toward a rippling, smoky form. Belial.

_"THAT'S IT... COME TO ME, MY LOVE..."_ he crooned, gesturing with his long fingers, _"COME TO ME..."_

In Hermione's vision, Severus turned and smiled at her. His eyes were so warm and inviting she didn't even think about just how wrong it was. He held out one beseeching hand to her and beckoned with his fingers. She smiled with joy and reached out to take his hand.

In reality, Snape was running through the rain in his robes, a soaked, desperate shape in the shadows. He spotted Hermione reaching out to Belial and his eyes widened in horror. "Hermione, STOP!" he shouted.

Belial looked up with a sharp hiss as Snape raised his wand, shouting out Flipendo with enough force to knock the demon back. He repeated the spell several times, blasting Belial back with many shots to which the demon shrieked furiously.

_"DAMN YOU!"_ Belial snarled.

Snape looked at the still-zombified Hermione and hissed out Finite. Hermione suddenly fell backwards, no longer under Belial's spell. Snape caught her immediately with one arm and rested her onto the grass and he turned, facing the demon with absolute fury in his black - eyed stare.

"You'll never have her!" he shouted.

Belial chuckled darkly. _"IT APPEARS THAT I HAVE CLEARLY UNDERESTIMATED THE WEEPING RODENT,"_ he hissed, _"YOU DO HAVE SOME FIGHT IN YOU AFTER ALL."_ He gestured to the unconscious Hermione. _"PERHAPS IT IS THIS WOMAN WHO FEEDS YOU STRENGTH...?"_

"Be gone, demon!" Snape shouted, "_Depulso_!"

Belial was hit again with the spell and this time, before he could disappear, he grinned cruelly and swirled about in a cloud of smoke before moving around Snape and disappearing entirely. He looked around cautiously for signs of the demon, concerned that he would return. Immediately, he scooped Hermione up into his arms and apparated with her.

O

Hermione mumbled weakly as she slowly began to come back to reality. Snape was looking down at her with a concerned look on his face. She gasped and abruptly sat up, looking around the room where she was; it appeared to be his house, though she couldn't imagine anyone living in such a depressing environment. The room was barely lit by a few candles and a headlamp on the desk where he had attempted to read a book.

"What happened?" Hermione asked, "How did I get here?"

Snape frowned at her. "You don't remember anything?"

"No... I just remember waking up from sleep and walking to the back door of my house and then... nothing," Hermione said, her eyes filled with worry, "I thought for sure that I might have been dreaming maybe."

Snape shut his eyes with a pained expression on his face before he looked at her again. "It was Belial."

Hermione's eyes widened in horror. "What happened?" she asked, her voice filled with near hysteria, "Why did he come back? I thought he couldn't come back!"

Snape held out one hand. "It's fine, he's gone."

Hermione was quiet for a moment, a thoughtful look on her face. She seemed to be struggling to collect her thoughts and Snape felt mad from the silence in the room. Not only was the object of his affection in his house, she was there in front of him; in his territory, in his life.

"Wait...how did he go?" she finally asked again.

Snape knew the cause for her sudden alarm; no demon was simply banished by a Banishing Charm that could be taught to sixth years. Truth be told, he was more concerned because Belial had gone without so much as a fight.

"I understand your concern, Hermione," he said, gently, "But I don't think that you need to worry about it right now. I need to get you home before your parents wake up and find you missing."

Hermione wanted to argue and question what it was that he was thinking, but he did have a point; any more causes for alarm and her parents would have heart attacks - probably both at once. She didn't want to cause them any more grief. But another thought crossed her mind...

"How did you even know where I was?" she asked.

"_Cave Inimicum_," he explained, "I cast it around your house that day that I arrived at your house when you saw me in my wolf form. When Belial was nearby, he cast a spell of particularly dark magic and I was alerted to it immediately."

Hermione weakly smiled. "Thank you for coming."

He didn't reply, but instead smiled. She could see a certain sense of unease on his face and she knew why; she was in his house. It was a place that no one had ever stepped into except for himself. She didn't blame him for feeling nervous.

"I should go," she said.

"I will take you," Snape replied.

O

The following day, Hermione was getting herself dressed for her "date" with Severus. her mother was constantly badgering her about who the man was and where he was taking her. Hermione would constantly answer her with the fact that she was keeping it a secret until he arrived. She didn't tell her about the incident that had happened last night and felt that it was best just to keep it that way; in the dark anyway.

"Mom, he's going to be here soon," Hermione protested, "Please don't embarrass me."

Her mother put her hands on her hips, watching as Hermione applied lipstick. "When have I ever embarrassed you?" Hermione gave her a skeptical look in response and her mother seemed to get it. "Okay, point taken, but can you please hurry? It isn't polite to keep any man waiting."

"Mom!" Hermione insisted.

Waiting on the first floor was Hermione's father, sitting on the couch to meet this "man" taking his daughter out on a date. When there was a knock at the front door, he immediately stood up and walked over, opening it. Snape was standing there, dressed in a very formal set of robes, shoes and a black summer coat. Hermione's father scrutinized him severely before Snape spoke, his words calm and composed.

"Is Hermione ready?" he asked.

The man frowned. "Almost," he said, gesturing behind him, "You may sit and wait for her if you wish."

Snape nodded. "Thank you."

He stepped inside and took a comfortable spot on the couch. Hermione's father sat across from him in a loveseat. The two men were silent and stared each other down. Snape raised his brows skeptically at the smaller man's attempt at trying to shake him up.

"What are your intentions with my daughter?" the man finally asked.

Snape knew that was coming. "I can assure you that they are simple and clean; I am taking her to the theater, then we will have dinner. After that, I will bring her straight home."

Her father frowned at him, giving him a look that suggested he had no real interest in seeing Hermione dating something like Snape - he appeared to be a dark, evil shape that was hellbent on taking her away...a vampire perhaps. Though he didn't want to come off as rude, he still couldn't resist the urge to pry a bit more. After all, this man was taking his daughter out; he had to know everything as a father rightfully should.

"I never expected my daughter to have a taste for someone...such as yourself," he said, choosing his words carefully.

Snape arched a thin brow. "Someone like myself?" he repeated, "I'm not sure that I follow."

"You do," the man snapped, "You look like a vampire to me!"

Snape uttered a cold laugh. "Is that the only insult you have for me?"

Hermione's father narrowed his eyes at him. "How old are you, anyway?"

Snape's smile disappeared. He frowned now. "I don't honestly see how that is any concern to - "

"How old are you?"

Snape made a face. "34..."

Hermione and her mother walked into the living room and Hermione's face brightened when she saw Snape. He immediately stood up and smiled at her. She was wearing a beautiful ocean blue dress and her hair was tied up into a bun. She looked positively stunning.

"Are we ready to go then?" she asked.

Her father glared at his wife. "Honey, did you know that this man is 34 years old?" he demanded, gesturing to Snape.

Hermione's mother looked interested now. She couldn't resist a grin on her face when she looked at Snape. "Really?"

"Yes! Our daughter is dating a middle-aged man!"

Hermione cringed at her father's words. "Dad, please!" she protested, "This is hardly appropriate!"

"Don't you tell me what is hardly appropriate Missy!"

Her mother laughed good-naturedly and shook her head at his anger. "Honey, really!" she said, "Are you upset about their age difference? Need I remind you that we were 11 years apart when we were married."

Hermione gave her father a funny look and he wavered a bit with guilt before barking back. "That's not the point!" he spat, "I'm talking about my only child here!"

His wife just laughed gently and gave Hermione a hug before she patted her shoulder. "Go on and have fun," she told them. She gave Snape a stern smile and pointed a finger at him. "Bring her back before 11:00, do your hear me?"

Snape smiled and gave her a respectful nod. "Yes ma'am."

"I mean it," her mother said, "I might not know magic, but I know my way around 911."

Snape laughed gently and held out his arm to Hermione. "Shall we?"

She circled his arm with hers and they walked out. Hermione's mother gave her husband a funny look. He frowned at her, knowing full - well what she was thinking of.

"Don't you say a word!" he ordered.

O

The sky had never been more clear or more beautiful that night. Hermione had never felt the way that she did; walking down the streets with Snape around her arm. She never would have pictured herself with him either.

"I do hope you enjoy the opera," Snape told her, "I've seen it and it is quite something."

Hermione smiled at him. "I'm enjoying myself already."

He looked away with a sigh now. "I don't understand you sometimes," he said, "So intelligent and so foolish at the same time."

"What do you mean?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Being with me," he replied, "How could you even want to be with me? Especially after the way that I had treated you."

Hermione laughed gently and shook her head. "Honestly, Severus; you have to stop blaming yourself for that. It's over and done with. We have the here and the now, so let's just enjoy that instead of thinking about what separated us."

Though he didn't seem very sure, he smiled weakly. "I don't deserve someone like you..."

They entered the theater and took a seat closer to the front row. As it played, Hermione watched the colorful costumes and masks. A man in a skeleton outfit jumped across the stage and began singing for his long - lost love. She was a woman wearing a mask that resembled a bird and she mourned for the loss of her love as well. They seemed to have been separated in death and he could not find her through the afterlife. It was a sad thing.

Hermione suddenly felt a pain in her head. She pinched her nose and rubbed it briefly before looking up at the stage again. The man in the skeleton mask looked straight at her and there was a brief flash of something that was akin to a screaming skull - like face before disappearing. Hermione frowned and blinked several times, wondering if she may have been seeing things. The opera resumed again and she looked around at the audience, wondering if they had seen it too.

After relaxing, she continued to watch the opera. Snape glanced at her from the corners of his eyes for a brief moment before he resumed watching as well.

Hermione blinked away the fuzzy sensation before the same skull-like faces flash appeared again, though this time, in the seats in front of her. She jumped up with a shrill scream and it startled those watching her. Snape frowned, concerned and stood up.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" he asked.

His features morphed into the same skull - like face and she shrieked in terror, turning and sprinting out of the theater. Snape gave chase immediately and the opera on stage made every attempt to resume where it was interrupted.

"Hermione, wait!" Snape called, chasing her outside.

As she ran, she continued to see the same flashing faces, screaming at her demonically. She didn't know what they were, but she had to get away.


	14. 14

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the end of the first chapter was borrowed from the film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out.

"The key to change... is to let go of fear."

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Fourteen**

_1994_

Snape cursed himself for losing track of her.

Hermione had run off into the night on her own and now he was running all over London trying to find her. He crossed the street to the city park and called loudly for her to hear. When she didn't answer, he began to get frightened.

"Hermione!" he shouted, "Answer me!"

A soft moaning sound and he looked sharply toward a statue of the Virgin Mary. He could see Hermione lying against the foot of it with her head hung low. Her hair had been undone and flowed all across her back in rivers of brown and gold. Snape quickly rushed up to her and bent down.

"Hermione, what are you-"

She turned and her eyes were no longer brown, but a bright, unholy gold. She squeezed her eyes shut and they returned to brown again. She gave him a desperate, pleading look and grabbed his robes tightly, leaning against him.

"Help me, Severus!" she begged, "He's..."

Snape watched helplessly as she thrashed against him and fell onto her back, groaning in agony. Her face was a mask of struggle and she clawed at her stomach and her throat. Horrible, deep gurgling sounds escaped her lips and something living moved grotesquely beneath her skin and across her stomach. Snape's eyes widened in horror and she looked up at him with an equally frightened gaze, grabbing his wrist tightly.

"He's inside of me!" she cried, "Get him out! Get him out now!"

"No..." Snape whispered, stunned by this revelation, "Gods, no!"

He attempted to hold her down as she thrashed and shrieked with pain and fright. Her voice became more than he could bear and it began to deepen to a more masculine sound that sent the hairs at the back of his neck standing up.

_"YOU CANNOT FIGHT ME, GIRL!"_ Belial's voice burst from her lips, with glee, _"GIVE IT UP!"_

"Let her go!" Snape shouted down at him, trying to push his hand into Hermione's abdomen and expel the demon within, "Get out of her!"

Hermione's face changed entirely. Instead of the beautiful features that he had come to adore, her lips became cracked and her skin grayed like that of an old woman. Her hair was now disheveled and the veins in her skin blue and swollen. Her eyes seemed to of changed to a deep shade of gold once more and were rolled up into the back of her head. A guttural groan burst free out of her mouth as she continued to writhe against him.

When she grinned, it was Belial's grin. _"I TOLD YOU I WOULD HAVE HER!"_ he hissed through her lips.

"No..." Snape moaned, "You can't do this!"

Belial snickered coldly._ "I JUST DID!"_

He kicked Snape harshly in the head by swinging up one leg and the force released his grip on the woman possessed. He gave a shout of pain and held his head. Just as Belial started to take off, Snape raised his wand in his direction.

"Incarcerous!" he shouted.

The tip of his wand burst and a thick layer of rope encircled Belial's legs, sending him falling to the ground flat on his face. They wrapped around his ankles and wrists, circling his entire body. He just laughed loudly with mirth.

_"OH THIS IS FUN!"_ he shouted with glee, _"I HAVEN'T HAD THIS MUCH FUN SINCE THE MIDDLE AGES!"_

O

Hermione had been tied down tightly to an enchanted statue of Merlin. Belial snickered coldly as he watched Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall and Fudge pace wildly around the darkness of the Ministry basement floor. It was filled with various vials, magical artifacts and other kinds of enchanted books.

"How could this have happened?" McGonagall whispered, "I thought he could not touch her!"

Belial laughed cruelly and squirmed beneath the tight confines. _"I AM THE LORD OF LIES, MY DEAR!"_ he sneered, _"I HAD TO MAKE PERFECTLY SURE THAT YOU BELIEVED YOURSELVES TO BE SAFE."_

Dumbledore stepped forward. "Where is Hermione?" he asked.

_"HERE WITH ME, OF COURSE,"_ Belial told him.

"I had ordered you to leave this woman alone," Dumbledore told the demon, "Do you truly want to destroy her life?"

Belial smirked, making the look appear utterly unnatural to Hermione. _"I DO WHAT I PLEASE, WIZARD."_

"You must leave, demon filth," Dumbledore ordered, his eyes hard with an angry stare, "You must leave this woman's body which your foul presence occupies and never again shall you return to do any harm to her."

Belial laughed at the threat. _"WHY SHOULD I LEAVE? I'M HAVING TOO MUCH FUN!"_

"We will tear you out of her then," Dumbledore told him.

_"OH? HOW?"_ Belial asked.

Dumbledore smiled and walked over to his desk, gathering a large book in his hands. While he paged through it, Fudge watched the possessed woman with a weak look on his face. Belial grinned at him and squirmed.

_"CORNELIUS!"_ Belial purred, _"I KNOW YOUR DEAREST, DARKEST SECRETS!"_

Fudge attempted to ignore him.

"I κατοικούσε σε πολλά ... (I dwelt within many...)" Belial purred, in Greek, "Το όργανο αυτό είναι ένα άλλο να προσθέσω στη λίστα μου. (This body is another to add to my list)."

Dumbledore turned his attention to the demon. "You speak many languages, Belial," he said, calmly as he carried the book in his arms. He paused briefly and lifted his eyes up to the demon, speaking in another language.

"_Du er ikke så kraftfuld som du kan prale af_ (You are not so powerful as you boast)," Dumbledore told him in Danish, _"Bare blot tomme ord_ (Just mere empty words)."

Belial raised a single brow and spoke in Spanish now. "_No se puede detener a un príncipe del infierno_ (You cannot stop a prince of hell)."

Dumbledore smiled. "_Un príncipe? Eres un príncipe?_ (A prince? You are a prince?)"

Belial grinned and laughed at him.

Dumbledore opened his book and paged through it, still watching the demon-possessed woman. "Your name, demon, do you realize what it translates into?" he asked. When he received no answer, he smiled calmly and continued. "It translates as 'lacking worth'. There are Muggle scholars who translate it from Hebrew as 'worthless' or 'yokeless' or 'may have no rising." When Belial glowered at him, he just chuckled softly and continued again. "Also, 'never to rise'."

Belial hissed furiously at him._ "HUMANS NO NOTHING OF THE TRUE HORRORS THAT I WIELD!"_

"Interesting," Dumbledore said, standing, "If you were truly powerful, you could be free then."

Belial stared down at the things wrapped around him. He noticed that there was a seal painted at his feet. He tilted his head with intrigue; symbols of the Twelve Patriarchs who had destroyed his body before...

_"THE SEAL..."_ he whispered before he started laughing with mirth, _"THAT IS AN OLD TRICK!"_ He looked up at Dumbledore with extreme delight. _"THE TWELVE PATRIARCHS HAD PERISHED! TELL ME, WHO SUPPLIED YOU WITH THE KNOWLEDGE?"_ He suddenly arched his head back and smiled, sensing the presence of others there in the shadows. _"AHH, COULD IT BE THAT COWARD LANCELOT HAS COME?"_

Lancelot stepped out of the shadows with a cold scowl. Behind him stood Vsevolod.

"Belial..." Lancelot said, "I thought I smelled your stink."

Belial laughed coldly, a sound that made Lancelot cringe weakly at the sight of Hermione and how she appeared being possessed. _"A COWARD HAS COME TO FACE THE PRINCE OF LIES!"_ he sneered, _"NOW I HAVE SEEN EVERYTHING!"_

Lancelot pursed his lips tightly. "Get your disgusting ass out of my niece!" He bent down and seized Hermione's shoulders, shaking her gently. "Hermione, goddamn it! I know you're stronger than this! You wouldn't let him possess you so easily!"

Belial smirked and then, they watched as Hermione's features turned inward and seemed to twist with great struggle. A soft moan echoed from her lips and it almost sounded like her real voice. When Snape heard it, it twisted his heart inside and he bent down before her as well, hoping to reach into her and find her again.

"Hermione, can you hear me?" he said, "Fight him!"

After a moment's struggle, Belial's voice emerged from Hermione's lips with a cruel laugh to follow._ "SHE CANNOT FIGHT ME!"_ he spat, _"I AM HER NOW AND SHE IS ME!"_ He laughed again before continuing. _"I WANTED HER SOUL AND NOW I HAVE IT. YOU CAN DO NOTHING!"_

"Not necessarily," Dumbledore told him.

Belial's smile drifted downward. _"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"_

"There is a way to save Hermione from you and send you away for all eternity," Dumbledore continued, "If I recall, Vsevolod told us that it took a man to banish your physical body into pieces. Perhaps it can be another to banish your soul away as well."

Belial seemed to shudder in his seat, no doubt uneasy about Dumbledore's challenge. He pricked his chin up with a sneer. _"YOUR LYING,"_ he sneered, _"IT WOULD REQUIRE ONE OF HER BLOOD TO SAVE HER. AND NO ONE OF HER FAMILY WOULD EVER-"_

Lancelot stepped forward. "I would."

Snape looked at him with shock. "What?" he said, "You cannot give your life up! Hermione loves you and - "

"She will come to understand why I did it," Lancelot interrupted. He chuckled softly and smiled at him. "I've lived my life. She's still young yet. She has so much left to live for. It would be better for me to go than her."

Belial snarled at him. _"NO! YOU CAN'T!"_

Lancelot gestured for Snape to back away from him and he turned to Vsevolod. "I'm ready..." he told him.

Vsevolod nodded his head and reached into his robes, removing a jagged, nightmarish - looking dagger. He nodded his head once and swept his hand to push the others aside. They stepped back and raised their wands, pointing them at Belial should he attempt to be free.

Lancelot winced as Vsevolod cut the dagger across both of his palms into the form of an upside - down cross. As the blood began to pour from his hands, he pressed them to his forehead and drew an upside - down cross in blood. Belial shrieked and thrashed furiously.

"NO! STOP!" he shouted.

"_Purgandum spiritus_ (Purify the spirit)..." Lancelot whispered, bending down before the squirming Belial, "_Claudite ostia_ (Close the doors)... _Ut promptus caro mea haec innocentes parcere_ (Take my willing flesh to spare this innocent)..._ Nunquam terram ambulare. Nunquam nocere puram et casta_ (Never again to walk the Earth. Never again to harm the pure and the chaste)." He slapped his bleeding hands against Hermione's cheeks. "_Vade_ (Begone)!"

Those watching could only stare in mute shock as the seal on the floor appeared to set fire, surrounding both Lancelot and Hermione with deadly blue flames. Snape tried to step forward, but Vsevolod grabbed his arm and prevented him from doing so. Snape glared at him furiously and the man shook his head with warning. Snape looked back to the chaos as the entire room began to violently shake and Lancelot's soul appeared to slide out of his own body. Then, Belial's smoking soul was yanked out. The two souls struggled and squirmed, entrapped inside the circle.

Lancelot grabbed Belial's face and gave Vsevolod a weak smile. "Goodbye, old friend..."

Vsevolod nodded in return.

Finally, with a fierce yell from Belial and Lancelot, their souls were sucked down into the seal in a burst of blue and red light before disappearing completely. The seal crumbled into ash and disappeared from the floor. When the chaos slowly died down, Snape bent over to Hermione's limp form and gave her a gentle shake, casting a charm to dispel the restraints. She collapsed with a weak sigh into his arms and he avoided Lancelot's lifeless body.

"Hermione..." Snape said, softly, "Please, come back."

After a moment of tense waiting, Hermione's eyes fluttered open. She groaned in pain and looked around the room, catching the worried gazes of everyone there. Her eyes had returned to their normal soft brown.

"S-Severus?" she whispered, "What happened? Where am I?"

She looked down and noticed the lifeless body of her uncle. Then, Hermione noticed the remains of the seal that had been broken and she began to put two and two together. Her eyes widened in horror and despair.

"Uncle Lancelot?" she squeaked, in a small, terrified voice. She pushed her way out of Snape's grip and shook the body of her uncle. "Uncle, wake up. Wake up!" She shook him harder and her voice reached a much more hysterical note. "Wake up!"

She started screaming it over and over again, tears pouring from her eyes while the others watched in silence, uncertain of what to say to try and make her feel any better.

O

_It was only one hour ago_

_It was all so different then_

_There's nothing yet has really sunk in_

_It seems like it always did_

_This flesh and bone_

_Is just the way that we are tied in_

_Now there's no-one home_

_I grieve for you_

_You leave me_

_It's so hard to move on_

_Still loving what's gone_

_They say life carries on_

_They say life carries on and on and on and on_

_The news that truly shocks is the empty, empty page_

_While the final rattle rocks its empty, empty cage_

_And i can't handle this_

_I grieve for you_

_And you leave me_

The Granger family stood around the casket of Lancelot Granger as he was being buried inside the graveyard for the wizard community. Fudge was giving his speech even though he seemed rather uncomfortable. Hermione was silent and Snape stood beside her. He gave Fudge an indicating nod and the man sighed heavily before he gestured for those with wands to lower the casket into the ground. They did so and the Granger family miserably watched as their fallen blood was buried before them.

After the burial ceremony, Hermione approached Fudge with a sorrowful smile. "Thank you for burying him here," she said, "He would have wanted that."

Fudge sighed and shook his head. "You ask me for too much, Hermione Granger," he replied. He relented somewhat when Hermione's eyes burned with restrained anger at his comment, "But... all things considering; he did give his life to save you. I think that deserves a lot."

Hermione half-smiled. She didn't know what to think of that mixed response, so she didn't say anything save for a brief nod.

Her mother stared at the casket with sorrow in her eyes. Standing beside her was her mother and Hermione's grandmother. She scoffed and shook her head, giving Hermione's mother a sour look. She didn't seem the least - bit affected by the loss of her son. Her eyes were her own betrayal however.

"Good riddance, good for nothing son of mine!" she spat.

Hermione watched her mother's eyes darken with fury and before she could think to stop her, it came bursting out.

"Oh mother...SHUT UP!" Hermione's mother spat. Everyone reacted in shock as they watched the Muggle-Born grab her mother by the shoulders and shake her. "Don't you understand? He gave up his life to save your only granddaughter! How can you still say these things after what he's done?"

Hermione watched a furious look cross her grandmother's face before she pushed her mother aside. Then, the look changed and a pained grimace touched her face. She said nothing but turned and walked away. Hermione knew though; she did feel pain for the loss of her only son. The burning ache in her chest that she felt was nothing short of guilt; if she hadn't been so weak, Lancelot would still be alive with them.

"Hermione?" Snape's voice broke her from her thoughts.

Hermione looked up at him. Her voice carried with it restrained pain that she worked with every fiber of her being to contain from him. Her eyes were brimming slightly and she immediately turned away to prevent him from seeing. "I need to go..."

He blinked, startled. "What?"

Instead of letting him persuade her otherwise, Hermione ran away from the scene. She could hear him calling for her, but she ignored it.

She had to be alone right now.

O

Alone really didn't come.

Hermione visited the Burrow to talk with Ron about what had happened. The Weasley family were all but startled by this news. Molly made it a point to make Hermione some cake even against her protests.

"So is he really gone?" Ron asked.

Hermione nodded. "Yeah. Lancelot used his soul to seal Belial away for good." Ron still looked confused by the whole concept, so Hermione made it her point to explain. "Demons are inter-dimensional beings; they can be in many places at once. They are ancient entities believed to have lived long before the human race. Belial was one of the oldest of his kind. The only way to extinguish his physical body and diminish his powers was for the Twelve Patriarchs of the North to unite their magic with a seal. They removed his heart and separated it into pieces to prevent him from becoming whole again." She paused and watched Ron stare dumbly back at her. Sighing, she continued, "The Twelve Patriarchs had to sacrifice a willing soul to do this because Belial could not be defeated any other way. They didn't realize that by splitting his heart into several pieces, that gave him the chance to corrupt people into wishing upon his heart-the stone-and allowing for him to suck away their magic or their soul."

Ron looked uneasy. "How many demons are there?"

Hermione frowned thoughtfully. "From what I've read so far?"

He nodded.

"Ten thousand..."

Ron swallowed hard, terrified.

"But none of them can enter our world without being summoned; Belial was no exception. He pursued me simply because he felt that I broke the natural order of things by making a wish and still being with my magic, if not more," she continued, "He wanted me in any way possible, that's why he attempted to possess me."

Ron blinked, still stunned by this news. Finally, he asked and his voice carried fascination now. "What was it like?"

Hermione furrowed her brow, trying to collect her thoughts about the incident. "At first it was just cold, very cold, then I was standing alone on a frozen rock in the middle of the ocean..." Her thoughts derailed as she remember what had happened when Belial entered her. "...surrounded by dark water. The blackest, darkest water ever. There was nothing around me and it was so cold. Nothing. There was nothing."

Ron shivered. "That's horrible."

"Not as horrible as your room!" Molly interrupted, stepping into the kitchen with a smack at the back of Ron's head, "Get up there and clean it!"

Ron winced and nodded before he quickly rushed up the stairs. Hermione couldn't resist her laugh and Molly smiled pleasantly at her.

"Do you like your cake, dear?" she asked.

Hermione nodded and stared down at the half - eaten chocolate cake in front of her. "Oh yes, ma'am," she answered, "Thank you."

Molly gave her a sympathetic look before she looked up toward her window. Hermione watched her eyes widen. "Oh! Now whose owl could that be?" she exclaimed.

Hermione turned and noticed the tall, enormous shape of Gideon perched near the window. She sighed skeptically and stood up. "It's all right, Mrs. Weasley," she told her, "It's Severus' owl. He must have sent it to check up on me."

Molly looked surprised. "That dreadful man has an owl now?"

Hermione ignored the comment and stepped outside. Gideon squawked irritatedly at her before she reached into its claws to remove a small scroll. Severus had written a short letter this time, though she had expected such; he wasn't entirely fond of the Weasley's to begin with.

_Dear Hermione Granger,_

_Your father has made it a point to condemn me for all eternity given what has happened; though I expected as much._

_There has been word about the Quidditch World Cup and I am certain that Arthur and his pack will be_

_attending. If you do decide to join them, please inform Arthur that I am not a scapegoat for his_

_son's petty schemes. Last year truly did not favor well._

_I hope you're doing well. I look forward to seeing you again soon._

_Severus Snape_

"So I guess it's gotten serious, huh?"

Hermione squeaked in surprise and turned to see Charlie Weasley standing there with a smile on his face. She hadn't seen the other Weasley member before, but she knew what he looked like based on photographs from Ron.

"What's gotten serious?" Hermione asked, playing dumb.

Charlie laughed gently and shook his head with dismay. "Come on, Hermione," he said, "You don't have to act ashamed. So you have feelings for Severus Snape. That's not a bad thing at all. I've seen girls date bigger weirdos than that guy anyway."

Hermione cringed somewhat.

Charlie laughed gently, sensing that something else bothered her. "But it's not about you, is it?" he said, "Your worried how people would treat him."

She nodded.

"He's a big man, Hermione," Charlie told her, "It'll all sort itself out eventually."

Hermione smiled weakly and nodded. "I know," she replied. Then she added humorously. "But he really is a mess."

Charlie laughed gently. "Well, that's why he has you to help clean the mess up."

O

Later that night, Hermione was visited by Snape while she was doing dishes in the kitchen. Her father answered the door, much to her dismay and she knew it was Snape given the angry curse that she heard her father mutter.

"Dad, please give him a break," she protested, her hands dripping with water and soap, "He saved my life."

Snape gave her father a smirk and he glared back. "He was the cause of it to begin with!"

Hermione sighed impatiently. "I'm not having this argument, dad; not now."

Snape briefly gestured to his own hands in a discreet manner and Hermione immediately caught on. She groaned when she realized that her hands were dripping into a puddle at her feet and she quickly rushed to gather a towel to dry her hands and the floor.

"Why are you even here?" her father snapped, "Haven't you caused enough damage already?"

Snape ignored him and looked up at Hermione. "I would like to speak with Hermione alone if you don't mind."

"Actually, I do."

Hermione sighed. "Dad!"

Even against his words, Hermione joined Snape outside into the front yard.

"Everything is in order then?" Snape asked.

Hermione nodded. "Well, besides the fact that my father is even more paranoid than before; then yes, everything is going fine," she remarked, "He hasn't quite grasped the concept that you are not a demon magnet."

Snape made a sound that resembled a snort.

"Well, it's late, so I need some sleep," Hermione told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. When he didn't respond, she furrowed her brow. "What's wrong?"

"You almost died, that's what's wrong!" Snape said, in a biting tone, "You're treating it like it never happened!"

Hermione's frown deepened. "Severus, do you honestly think that's what's going on?" she said, stunned, "I just lost my uncle. I lost a part of my family because I was too weak to fight Belial off on my own. If you think that doesn't bother me in the slightest, then you're an arse!"

Snape blinked at her outburst, stunned.

Hermione relaxed and pain filled her eyes. "I was weak," she said, quietly now, "Weak."

"You're wrong." Snape told her, stepping closer this time.

She felt his arms circle her shoulders as he pulled her close to his chest. It would be a long time before she forgot the cold that had come with her possession, but she had a feeling that Severus could help her foget that. He was warm and she could hear the gentle throb of his heart against her ear. After a moment, she thought she felt a small tremble in his body. She lifted her head to look into his black eyes and saw pain there.

"You're not weak," Snape told her, his voice low, "So far from it."

She smiled up at him and then, leaned forward slowly, giving him all the time in the world to retreat.

He didn't.

She closed her eyes and pressed her lips against his. His whole body moved in a gentle sigh and he reached up with two hands to cup her cheeks. He was very good at kissing; he gently nipped at her lower lip, pressed and retreated once to catch his breath. Hermione felt warm all over and a brief tingling wove its way through her lower back, though she didn't understand why just yet; her head was buzzing from his kiss.

"What are we doing?" he asked, his voice rough.

She smiled and kissed the corner of his mouth. He moved to catch her lips with his, but she retreated somewhat. "Whatever we want." she answered.


	15. 15

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the end of the first chapter was borrowed from the film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out.

"The key to change... is to let go of fear."

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Fifteen**

_1995_

Harry was awoken by the slight shaking of Hermione. His body was shaking as well and he was rubbing his scar. She was standing over him. He blinked and refocused his eyes on the wall of the Burrow before he remembered ever coming to Ron's house. Arthur Weasley had picked him up from the Dursley's and he remembered that trip not boding well for uncle Vernon's fire place. It was rather amusing to watch his face turn purple, though.

"Are you all right?" Hermione asked.

Harry blinked again and sighed. "Yeah. I just had a bad dream is all." He paused and a thought crossed his mind. "When did you get here anyway?"

Hermione shrugged. "Just now. You?"

"Last night."

Harry nodded his head, though he still seemed troubled by something. After having breakfast, Arthur, Ron, Harry and Hermione started to walk into the woods and Harry spent some time talking to her alone.

"How was your summer?" he asked.

"Eventful..." Hermione told him.

Harry caught the sick look on her face. "Ron told me," he said, "I'm sorry, Hermione."

She sighed and couldn't stop the mild biting tone to her voice. "Why can't everyone stop telling me that?" she snapped, so suddenly; she mocked his words a few times, "'I'm sorry. I'm sorry'. Is it really going to help make things better? No, it's not!"

Harry recoiled in surprise and she blinked somewhat, realizing that she may have gone too far with her angry outburst. She looked at him apologetically. "Oh, I didn't mean to bark at you, Harry. Things have been rather crazy at my house these past few days."

"Really?" Harry still looked rather stunned by her snapping tone.

"Yes. I'm planning on moving out and my father's spent several hours trying to persuade me otherwise," she explained. She groaned now, "God, he just can't accept the fact that I cannot change what's happened to me."

"Where are you moving to?" Ron suddenly asked.

Hermione frowned down at him when she realized that he had been listening in on her conversation. "Westminister London," she told him, "On Old Pye Street. I got an apartment there. My job requires that I stay close."

"Where are you working at?" Ron asked.

"The London Trocadero. And I'm-What's with the twenty questions?" Hermione barked.

Harry stared at her for a long time before something dawned on him. "Your afraid."

Her features turned immediately guilty. She didn't answer but gave a very brief nod.

"Hermione, it's alright to be afraid," Harry assured her, "You're going out alone in the world. It's scary and-"

She sighed. "Is this supposed to make me feel better?"

Arthur stopped and they spotted another older man and a teenage boy approaching. The older man was wearing glasses on his face and a brown fall jacket with gray robes. The boy standing at his side was wearing a yellow and black sweatshirt.

"Arthur!" the man greeted.

Arthur chuckled and shook his hand. "Sorry, Amos. Some of us had a bit of a sleepy start," he said. He gestured to the man for the others. "This is Amos Diggory, everyone. He works with me at the Ministry." He turned to the boy. "And this strapping young lad must be Cedric, am I right?"

Cedric smiled and shook his hand in respect. "Yes, sir."

Amos gestured for them to follow. "This way," he said, "Yes, it's just over there."

They climbed up a large hill, occasionally stepping in rabbit holes and tripping over bits of grass. Hermione bounced her way up the hill in her fox form and she was waiting for them at the top with a smirk of pride.

"Show off..." Ron muttered.

Amos and Arthur surrounded an old boot and Harry frowned in confusion. "Why are they standing around that manky old boot?" he asked.

Cedric smiled and patted his shoulder. "That isn't just any manky old boot," he explained, "It's a Portkey."

"Time to go!" Amos announced.

Harry looked at Hermione with confusion. "What's a Portkey?"

O

The loud snap of the Portkey arriving at the Quidditch World Cup stadium filled the air, followed by the sharp yelling sounds of Harry and Ron plummeting to the ground. Hermione followed afterwards with a sharp yell. Cedric nearly fell on top of her. Amos and Arthur approached and Amos helped Hermione stand by pulling her to her feet. He grinned broadly as the others began to gather themselves up from the dirt.

"I'll bet that cleared your sinuses, eh?" he said.

Hermione made a face. "Yeah. I'll never sneeze again since it felt like I was sneezed out of the sky by God anyway..."

Amos laughed at that.

Arthur turned toward the large stadium occupied by literally thousands of wizards and witches. There were various stands and tents surrounding it; some were selling food and beverages as well as other various trinkets.

"Well, kids, welcome to the Quidditch World Cup!" Arthur announced with a bright smile.

Much later, they met up with Molly and the rest of the Weasley clan inside a tent magically reformed to appear larger on the inside than it did on the out. After everyone was cleaned up and fed, Hermione decided to wait for Severus to show up. He had mentioned meeting her at the tent after everyone had gone. She was waiting for a long time and stared at her watch: 7:40 PM. She mumbled worriedly and noticed that everyone was starting to pour out of the tent in their thicker clothes.

"Hermione, you coming?" Ron called.

She sighed sadly and nodded, disappointed. "Yeah, I'll be there."

Harry caught the look and watched as she slipped on her jacket and scarf. "He didn't show up, huh?"

She blinked and pretended to not know what he was talking about. "Hm?" she mumbled, "What are you talking about?"

"I know that look, Hermione," Harry told her. "Whoever this guy is, he promised you he'd show up and he didn't."

Hermione didn't want to answer. Maybe she had her suspicions correct and Severus just didn't want to be around her friends. Maybe he didn't like them. Or maybe he just didn't want to be seen with her around the Slytherin's that he knew were here. Most particularly Lucius Malfoy. She knew that they were friends in some regard.

"Don't worry about it, Harry," she said, glumly, "Let's just go."

"Hermione..." Harry protested, "Who is it?"

She couldn't tell him. Not after the way he and Ron had acted about it before. "Just forget it." she mumbled, "I just think he's ashamed."

Harry shrugged his shoulders and the two started to leave. "If you ask me, not saying who he is means you're just as ashamed as he is."

She stopped now, stunned.

O

"Blimey, Dad. How far up are we?"

The Weasley's scrambled to climb to the very top of the stadium. Arthur just laughed gently at Ron's question.

"Well, put it this way: If it rains, you'll be the first to know." he said.

Hermione couldn't see the competitors, but she did notice that Victor Krum was among them as the Bulgarians began to appear. Ron started prattling on about Victor being the most amazing Quidditch player of the entire tournament and it began to annoy her somewhat.

"Who's that?" Ginny asked.

Ron grinned. "That, sis, is the best Seeker in the world."

Making matters worse, Draco and his family started to appear at the steps. When he spotted them, he smirked. "Father and I are in the minister's box," he told them, "by personal invitation of Cornelius Fudge himself."

Lucius' cane came down in front of Draco's hands. "Don't boast, Draco," he scolded, "There's no need with these people."

Draco noticed that Hermione wasn't paying attention. "Did you hear me?"

Hermione blinked and gave the boy a rather unfriendly look. "Hm? Oh, forgive me for my 'rudeness'," she snapped, "But I do have more important things on my mind than the exploits of the Malfoy family right now."

Draco glowered darkly at her and started to go forward, but Lucius grabbed the back of his robes and gave Hermione a look and an unpleasant smile. His next words carried much more meaning than she seemed to catch on. "Do enjoy yourself, won't you? While you can." he hissed.

It took nearly forever to find their seats. When they did, Cornelius Fudge stood up and placed the tip of his wand at his neck to amplify his voice for the entire stadium to hear.

"As Minister for Magic, it gives me great pleasure to welcome each and every one of you to the final of the 422nd Quidditch World Cup!" he announced, "Let the match begin!"

They watched as Krum soared over several Irish Beaters, making a mad dash for the Golden Snitch. There were chants of "Krum! Krum! Krum!" over the entire left side of the stadium. Hermione didn't see what the big deal was, but Ron apparently did.

"There's no one like Krum." he said. "He's like a bird, the way he rides the wind. He's more than an athlete. He's an artist."

Hermione actually laughed. "I think you're in love, Ron."

"Shut up."

O

Hermione was still rather upset about Snape's absence, but she had relaxed a bit after some Butterbear and hanging out with her friends. Everyone was celebrating the victory of the Bulgarians and of course, Krum's victory as well. Fireworks went off in different directions and the sounds of cheers and excitement were in the air.

"Hermione, are you going to be okay?" Harry asked.

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

"I hope it works out," Harry said, nodding, "I know you must care about him. It shouldn't matter what Ron and I think about him."

Hermione's eyes widened. "You know?"

He smiled and nodded again. "Good for you, Hermione."

She couldn't resist the smile on her face. It disappeared when the sound of explosions filled the air. She looked in the distance and Fred and George stood behind her, catching the strange sight of people scrambling aside to avoid something.

"Sounds like the Irish have got their pride on." George remarked.

"Stop! Stop it!" someone screamed.

The screams sounded real and terrified. Harry shook his head and his eyes widened. "It's not the Irish."

Chaos ensued as several masked shapes appeared through the crowd, firing off shots of their wand and setting everything ablaze. Hermione's eyes widened in horror and Arthur appeared through the crowd, grabbing Fred and George. He began to push them and Hermione and Harry through the crowd.

"We've gotta get out of here. Now!" he shouted, "Get out, it's the Death Eaters!" He dodged a flaming shot from one of the Death Eater's wands. "Get back to the Portkey, everybody, and stick together now!"

Shortly after that, Molly joined them with the rest of the Weasley clan. "Fred, George! Ginny is your responsibility." she said, "Now go!"

Through the frantic crowd, several of them had became separated. Hermione was desperately looking around through the blaze to find her friends. With a grunt, she removed her want and uttered Ascendio, propelling herself up over the blaze. She landed with ease on the other side and noticed that two Death Eaters were coming her way. She raised her wand at them and just as suddenly, they pointed their wands at her.

"_Stupify_!" she shouted.

A blast from hr wand knocked directly into one of the Death Eaters, but she had foolishly left herself open for the other to attack; a blast from his wand struck her directly in her chest. She gave a shout and felt white hot pain flow through her body. Hermione went down and screamed; it hurt. No, it really hurt. She moaned in pain and raised her wand, just as the Death Eater moved in to finish her. She winced and croaked out another spell.

"_Protego_!" she cried.

His next spell rebounded off of the Shield Charm and struck himself instead, sending the screaming man backwards. Hermione tried to stand and used the tend behind her for balance. The pain was so intense and she screamed this time; every inch of her body was on fire and felt like it was exploding in several different sections. Fighting it seemed to make it worse, but she couldn't just sit here. She had to find Harry and Ron. She staggered forward, sucking in several sharp breaths of agony.

"Harry!" she shouted, "Ron! Ha-" She cut herself off with a sharp moan and clutched her abdomen.

The pain was so intense and hurt so badly. Hermione did what she could to ignore it and searched the blaze for any sign of her friends. Suddenly, the Death Eaters began to depart when the Ministry and various other wizards and witches began to appear, casting spells to douse the flames. Much to her relief, she spotted Harry and Ron and immediately limped up to meet them.

"We've been looking for you for ages!" Ron said, smiling. "Thought we lost you, mate."

Hermione smiled in relief and almost forgot about the pain in her stomach. She checked Harry for damages.

"Are you hurt?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No. I'm fine," he told her, "I saw someone though. He was..."

He trailed off because Hermione was looking up toward the sky, her eyes wide in horror. In the sky was a green glowing skull and serpent, hovering ominously before their eyes. Ron noticed it too and he gasped in shock.

"What is that?" he asked.

The Ministry suddenly surrounded them and pointed their wands at the three. Their held up their hands without hesitation and dropped their wands to the ground. Arthur pushed his way through the crowd angrily.

"Stop! That's my son!" he snapped at them. He looked at the three worriedly. "Ron, Harry, Hermione, you all right?"

Ron nodded. "We came back for Harry."

Another man stepped up from the crowd. He looked older than Arthur and had a funny short mustache. He waved an accusing finger at them. "Which of you conjured it?" he demanded, his eyes wide with fright and anger. Bartemius Crouch Sr.

Arthur frowned at him. "Crouch, you can't possi-" he began.

"Do not lie!" Crouch bellowed. He pointed at the three again. "You've been discovered at the scene of the crime."

Amos was among the crowd. "Crime?" he exclaimed, "Barty! They're just kids."

Harry glared at them now, not thrilled with the accusation. "What crime?" he demanded.

Hermione bent and whispered to him. "It's the Dark Mark, Harry. It's his mark."

"What, Voldemort?"

Hermione nodded. "Those people in the masks, those are his followers," she explained, "Death Eaters."

Harry looked at Arthur. "I saw a man too," he said, hoping that it would prove his innocence, "I didn't see his face, but he..."

Harry's voice began to drone out as Hermione felt her world starting to spin. She groaned and collapsed behind Harry. Ron caught this and he immediately bent down to her. He noticed that her abdomen was slowly becoming soaked with blood.

"Hermione!" he shouted.

His voice began to fade as she lost consciousness entirely.

O

_"Don't think of it as dying, my dear..."_

_"It's not dying. It's surviving."_

_"Bah. You're so foolish."_

_Hermione awoke and found herself sitting on a small hillside and much to her surprise, Candice and Burch were sitting beside her. She looked down and noticed the dog from her portrait was also there, barking happily and playing with a butterfly._

_"Where am I?" she asked._

_Candice smiled brightly at her, offering a teapot. "Tea?" When Hermione didn't respond, she shrugged and put the pot down._

_"What's going on?" Hermione asked, "Am I dead?"_

_Candice laughed gently. "No dear," she said, "You're simply having a - "_

_"No, no, don't say it!" Burch snapped, gruffly, "Every time someone says that, they expect to have some kind of revelation and it just doesn't work that way!"_

_Hermione blinked. They seemed the same as their portraits. Were they real?_

_"You seem confused, dear," Candice said, gently, "What's wrong?"_

_"There's more to you," Hermione said, frowning, "More than just being enchanted paintings."_

_Candice looked at Burch and he shrugged his shoulders, not as willing to talk about it the way she was. She just smiled and the dog trotted up to her._

_"You'd be correct in your assumption, Hermione," she said, "We're not just paintings. We're spirits."_

_Hermione blinked in surprise. "Really?"_

_"Yeah." Candice's eyes darkened slightly; her aged features filling with pain. "We weren't truthful entirely when we said how old we were. What you saw us wearing...was the last things we ever wore before we were killed. They were costumes. We were going to a party because Burch here told mother about how he's never had a date."_

_Burch snorted and rolled his eyes. "Right. Put the blame all on me for what happened..."_

_Candice ignored that. "Anyway, we were walking with Bones-" She gestured to the dog. "-and we were attacked...by Death Eaters. The only one who was there in time to save us was Severus Snape. You see, we had been very good friends of him for a long time. He made us promise not to tell anyone about it but...we were close friends of the Snape Family. His father...dreadful man... would constantly send the boy alone and he'd come to our little cottage in the hills." Candice gestured around the grassy hills. "These are our memories."_

_Hermione frowned, confused. "So why am I seeing you now?"_

_"We don't know," Burch answered, shrugging his shoulders, "Maybe it's because you have a connection to Severus."_

_Hermione couldn't understand it, but when Bones trotted up and began to lick her face, she laughed. "Bones?" she said, staring at Candice with amusement._

_Burch glared at his sister. "I told you that was a dumb name."_

_"Wake up, Hermione," Candice told her, ignoring her brother, "Wake up before you end up like us." She paused and stared ahead with sadness in her eyes. "Never going forward, never going back. Only stuck in between."_

_"And it really sucks too." Burch muttered, and his eyes looked pained for the first time since she had seen him._

_"Hermione. Hermione?"_

Hermione mumbled and blinked, her blurry vision focusing on the two shapes looking down at her. When her vision cleared, she could make out the details of the two figures; it was Arthur and Molly Weasley.

"Oh, thank Merlin!" Molly sighed.

"Are you feeling alright, Hermione?" Arthur asked.

Hermione winced and pulled herself in a sitting position. She looked around; it was St. Mungo's and she was strapped up to an IV and bandaged around her abdomen. She still felt pain through her entire body, though it was more dull this time. She could see other patients being admitted as well; some had burns on their faces that were so extensive, it was difficult to look at them. Others were being treated for curses.

"What was I hit with?" she wondered, looking at them, "It felt like a-"

"A Stinging Hex?" Arthur said, "Well you'd be partially right. No one knows entirely what you were hit with, but the Healers suggest that a very powerful Stinging Hex was involved. The pain must have been excruciating."

Hermione nodded weakly. "Without a doubt..."

"Well, the Healers say you need a full night of rest and you'll be ready to go to Hogwarts tomorrow morning," Arthur told her.

As they turned to go, Hermione held out a hand. "Wait!" she said, "Did they find that man that Harry was talking about?"

Arthur shook his head gravely. "No. I'm afraid not."

Hermione sighed sadly and plopped back down onto the pillow. She growled a curse and looked to her left where a Healer was collecting a few bed pans. He paused and caught her look, giving a gentle laugh at her condition.

"It'll all get better, I promise," he assured her.

Hermione sighed again. Things were getting worse before they got better. The Healer seemed to sense something was wrong and took a spot on the bed beside her. She could tell he appeared to look much younger than most Healers. Maybe appearances were deceiving.

"You seem upset," he said, "And I reckon it's not because of your injuries."

Hermione shook her head. "I'm having second thoughts about someone..."

The Healer chuckled. "A man I presume?"

Hermione blushed slightly. "Yeah..."

"May I ask why?"

"It's silly..."

"Child, I have problems with them all the time, especially with mine," the Healer told her with a gentle smile, "You just have to find the reasons why."

It never could have occurred to Hermione that this man lived an alternate lifestyle. Then again, it wasn't her place to ask.

"Does this man have a name?"

Hermione nodded. "Severus Snape."

She watched a strange look cross the Healer's face. "Snape?" he said. He frowned thoughtfully and tapped his chin, pondering for several moments. "Snape, Snape, Snape... I think I went to Hogwarts with him!"

Hermione briefly smiled. "Really?"

"Yes. What was that nickname they called him?" he mused. "Oh. Snivellus Snape. When we got older, he would always gripe about some woman. Uh...Lily! Lily Evans. She married Harry Potter's father and from what I remember, Snape never got over it. I've seen him here a few times for injuries. Though the year You-Know-Who had fallen, he was in here screaming about the death of Lilly. I don't think he ever got over it."

Hermione felt sick inside. So that was the woman he didn't want to talk about. It all made sense now. Everything did. The hesitation...the unease around her. He was still in love with a dead woman. And even worse, another man's wife. She struggled to keep the hot lump down and looked at the Healer weakly.

"Can I have a drink?" she asked, "Something strong?"

The Healer frowned. "I'm really not allowed to-"

"Please!" Hermione begged, her voice cracking out of her.

The Healer shrugged his shoulders. "I might know something..."

O

Evening fell.

Snape immediately hurried down the halls of the hospital and stopped in front of a desk. "I'm here to see Hermione Granger!" he panted, exhausted from running and taking his broom all over creation to find her.

The Healer nodded and searched for a moment through scrolls and papers before pausing. "Granger..." he said. "Oh. Sorry. It seems that Miss Granger isn't accepting any visitors right now."

Snape looked confused. "What?" he said, flabbergast, "That's ridiculous. Why wouldn't she accept visitors?"

"I don't know," the Healer replied, "She was very certain that she wanted no one bothering her."

Snape couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Dammit, she KNOWS me!" he snapped, turning and walking into the hall before the Healer could protest. When he stood up, Snape pointed his wand at him. "Don't even think of it."

The Healer slowly sank back down.

Snape stormed down the halls of the hospital. "I'll search this whole damn hospital if I must!"

He didn't have to search for long because when he poked his head into Hermione's wing, he found her sitting up in bed. The room was filled with candles and she was taking a moment to light one and douse it over and over with a repetitive swish of her hand. Snape didn't see the dried tears in her eyes or the empty bottle of Fire-whiskey at her bedside.

"Hermione! Thank the Gods you're alright!" Snape sighed, moving to her side.

She looked up at him slowly, her bloodshot gaze dropping his relief into the toilet. There was something in that gaze that was chilling enough to freeze the very fires of hell. He wanted to turn away from it, but he had a feeling that it had something to do with him.

"Hermione?" he said.

"Lily Evans."

The name sent a cold shiver down Snape's back. Hermione didn't look at him and continued her task of dousing the candle hovering magically in front of her and lighting it again. The orange glow of the candles made her facial expressions appear to be darker and much colder than usual. She didn't all that excited to hear his answer and continued with the task as if it was all that mattered. Someone must have told her about Lily. Much more than she should have known.

"That was a long time ago..." Snape managed, his voice shaking.

Hermione smiled now and it was the coldest smile she had ever mustered. There was also pain in her eyes too. Deep, bubbling sorrow. "Apparently not," she said, "You still think about her. You still haven't gotten over her death."

Snape's features twisted in pain. He didn't like being in such a position like this. "Hermione, listen to me - "

"No!" she suddenly shouted, clenching her hand into a fist before dousing the entire room in darkness.

Snape shut his eyes against the blast of magic and raised his wand, the tip glowing with blue light. She was looking away from him and her features were hard, rigid with pain and anger. She seemed to be fighting her tears.

"It all makes sense now," she said, her voice low, "The hesitation...all of it. You still have feelings for a dead woman!"

He wanted to hold her and assure her that she was mistaken, but no words left his lips. That seemed to make it much worse because she interpreted his silence as a confession. Hermione glared up at him, her cheeks flushed.

"You're drunk," Snape said, softly; he grabbed the empty bottle of Fire-whiskey, "I don't know who gave this to you or told you that, but when I find them - "

"Well I won't be your burden any longer," Hermione hissed, with fury.

Snape froze and shut his eyes, looking back at her after a moment. "You don't mean that..."

"I mean it!" she shouted, her voice almost betraying her.

Snape shook his head and placed the empty bottle down. He walked slowly over to her. "Hermione, when you looked at me that day..." he whispered, his features like that of a child who had been slapped for no reason, "...When you nearly gave your life. Do you know what I felt for you? I felt more than I had for ANYONE. ANYONE, Hermione. It's complicated for me, but you... I felt more for you. My heart has ached more than I could ever remember."

Hermione looked startled for a moment. She almost wanted to believe him. Almost. That pitiful, sorrowful look on his face nearly softened her. But then she remembered what that Healer had said and her voice-and heart-turned cold.

"I don't believe you." she spat.

The sorrowful look on Snape's face nearly wrenched her insides. "Hermione..." he began.

"Just get out!" she shouted, "Get out!"

Snape was silent before he quietly left the room, leaving her alone in the shadows to her own tears and misery.


	16. 16

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the end of the first chapter was borrowed from the film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out.

"The key to change... is to let go of fear."

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Sixteen**

_1995_

He thought that if she had time to cool off, she would talk to him.

She didn't.

Hermione hadn't even breathed a word to him since that night. When the Hogwarts train arrived, Snape took the moment to ponder this while he went over the roster for his new students and returning old ones. He noticed that Hermione's name was not on his list. He went to find McGonagall in the teacher's lounge and she was just gathering a cup of tea when he stepped inside.

"Minerva, are you aware that Hermione is not taking my class this year?" he asked.

"Yes, I am," McGonagall said, "She asked to have her schedule changed this morning. She informed me that since she had passed her advanced lessons, there was no point in wasting a year in a class that would not get her anywhere."

That stung in the pit of Snape's chest. Basically it translated to, "I'm not wasting my time with Severus Snape". That wasn't fair on him. She was just going to avoid his presence for absolutely no reason at all.

"She is avoiding me, I know it!" he snapped, throwing his hands in the air.

McGonagall frowned with concern. "Severus, Hermione seemed...different. She didn't say what, but she was quiet. Did something happen?"

"She was angry with me," Snape said, lowering his head so McGonagall couldn't see his face. "She believes that I feel nothing for her because of what happened to Lily and my..." He trailed himself off, ashamed of completing that sentence.

McGonagall looked stunned. "Severus!"

"I will speak to her about it," Snape assured her, "When I go to the storeroom-"

"Um, if I may," McGonagall interrupted, "Miss Granger has asked that I find another place for her to stay."

Snape blinked, hardly able to register that. "What?"

"Yes. I've created a suitable living arrangement for her in the Transfiguration storage room," McGonagall explained, "It's-Oh, don't look upset. Perhaps she just need time to herself to sort things out. She will come to understand things eventually."

Snape wasn't so sure. Women were complicated creatures. They held grudges longer than a man ever had the patience for.

He walked to the Sorting Ceremony and took his place at the teacher's table. He searched the entire hall for Hermione and he found her sitting next to Harry and Ron. She was talking to them and pointing at the bandage around her abdomen. She didn't even look in his direction at all. She occasionally laughed at something Ron or Harry would say and her smile lit up her entire face, giving him a moment to admire the beauty in it.

Dumbledore stepped up and began his announcement speech to the hall. "Well, now we're all settled in and sorted, I'd like to make an announcement," he said, "This castle will not only be your home this year but home to some very special guests as well." He paused for dramatic emphasis. "You see, Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event: The Triwizard Tournament. For those of you who do not know... "

All around the hall, everyone whispered amongst themselves with excitement. Ron in particular looked very impressed.

"Brilliant." he said, grinning.

Dumbledore continued on. "The Triwizard Tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests. From each school, a single student is selected to compete." His featured darkened somewhat. "Now let me be clear. If chosen, you stand alone. And trust me when I say these contests are not for the faint-hearted." Then, he smiled cheerfully and held up his hands. "But more of that later. For now, please join me in welcoming the lovely ladies of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and their headmistress, Madame Maxime."

Just then, everyone turned as the doors to the hall opened and many young women dressed in blue silk stepped in. More like glided in with uncanny grace and movements. They smiled rather seductively at the watchers and their hands produced magical butterflies that fluttered about the hall. Every boy there seemed to practically drool over the beautiful women. Then, the presence of Madam Maxime made their jaws drop. She was a tall woman. Probably taller than Hagrid.

"Blimey. That's one big woman." Ron remarked.

After the Beauxbatons took their seats, Dumbledore smiled and nodded before gesturing back to the hall doors. "And now our friends from the north. Please greet the proud sons of Durmstrang and their high master, lgor Karkaroff."

Then, several male students entered the halls, wielding staffs. They stood tall and proud and wore brown uniforms. Leading the fray was Victor Krum. This excited Ron and he gestured anxiously for Ron and Hermione to see.

"Oh, it's Krum! Blimey, it's him!" he cried, "Viktor Krum!"

Hermione laughed gently. "Excited are we?"

"You bet!" Ron grinned, "Think I can get his autograph?"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

After a rather impressive display of dance steps and fire, Igor greeted Dumbledore as if they were the best of friends. After an exchange of words, the Durmstrang students took their seats and Igor took a spot at the teacher's table. Dumbledore raised his hands for the students to listen again. Crouch was standing beside Dumbledore and stepped forward. He seemed very wary of speaking and everyone was wondering why.

"I'd like to say a few words," Dumbledore announced, "Eternal glory. That is what awaits the student who wins the Triwizard Tournament. But to do this, that student must survive three tasks. Three extremely dangerous tasks. For this reason, the Ministry has seen fit to impose a new rule. To explain all this we have the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation Mr. Bartemius Crouch."

In the corner of the room, Harry and Ron caught sight of a man standing in the shadows. A funny - looking man with a false eye.

"Bloody hell. It's Mad-Eye Moody." Ron exclaimed.

Harry looked surprised. "Alastor Moody? The Auror?"

Ron nodded. "He's supposed to be mad as a hatter, though, these days."

Crouch held up his hands to the students to hear him. They grew silent as he spoke. "After due consideration the Ministry has concluded that, for their own safety no student under the age of 17 shall be allowed to put forth their name for the Triwizard Tournament. This decision is final."

That caused chaos throughout the entire hall.

O

After the situation in the Great Hall had passed and names were distributed into the Goblet of Fire, Hermione decided to gather the portraits of Burch, Candice and the dog to her new room. They would make for good company and Severus didn't seem thrilled with them. Hopefully she could do so before he found her. She didn't want to speak to him or even associate with him. Not after what had happened in the hospital.

It wasn't fair; he didn't argue with her and so he may as well have confessed to her accusations. It hurt more than anything else he could have done.

Candice and Burch were thrilled to see her.

"Hermione dear!" Candice said, "Where are we going?"

"To my new room," Hermione told them.

Burch sighed in relief. "Thank Gods!" he snapped, "I was tired of this room anyway."

Hermione smiled sadly. "I was too."

She turned and started to walk out of the storeroom and much to her surprise, saw Snape coming down the stairs. When he saw her, his eyes widened in surprise and relief.

"Hermione!" he said.

She started to waver, but instead, cleared her throat and focused on looking as impassive as possible. She pushed her way passed him and he started to follow. The portraits shuddered in her grip and Candice mumbled something in unease.

"Hermione, are you just going to continue to do this?" Snape demanded.

No response.

He smiled desperately. "Ah, it's the silent treatment, I get it," he said, "You're angry. That's fine." His eyes landed on the portraits. "Taking them are you? Good. I don't care. Take it all if you want to. Just please wait and listen to me!"

Again, no response.

"Hermione, if you're angry, TALK TO ME!" he almost begged, "Yell at me, slap me, hex me if you must but please, talk to me!"

Burch grumbled. "This is becoming rather awkward for us..."

Hermione still remained silent.

"Say something, dammit!" Snape shouted, "Do something if you have to! Kick me! Hit me! Something!"

No. She didn't want to do anything. She didn't want to open up again and risk being hurt. Instead of acknowledging him, she pushed her way passed him and clutched the portraits tightly to her chest, avoiding his eyes. Her actions made a tight knot twist itself deeper into her chest, but she struggled for all her worth to ignore it. The dull pain in her abdomen didn't hurt nearly as bad as the stab in her heart.

O

Hermione spent some time out by the lagoon to ponder why she felt that Moody was a bit off and shouldn't even be teaching at Hogwarts. Something about him made her feel odd; she was uncertain about him given his eccentricities and lack of respect for the feelings of others, most particularly one who had suffered through seeing his family tortured.

"Hermione?"

She looked up and noticed that Harry was standing there. "Harry? What is it?" she asked.

"They're going to announce the selected champions soon," he said, "I was thinking you'd like to come."

Hermione nodded, gathered her books and stood up. She started to follow Harry to the school. "Things have really been different lately," she told the boy, "Especially with that Moody fellow. Did you see Neville's face in the classroom?"

Harry gave her a look. "I know he's a bit odd, but he's trying to give us a hands - on demonstration to help us figure out these curses, Hermione."

"There's a reason they are unforgivable, Harry," Hermione argued.

They returned to the Great Hall where everyone in the school had gathered excitedly awaiting their opportunity to become champions. Hermione took a spot beside Harry and they waited for Dumbledore to make his announcement.

"Now the moment you've all been waiting for: The champion selection." he declared.

The Goblet seemed to flicker with blue flames before it burst around the rim, shooting a scrap of paper high into the air. Dumbledore caught it and smiled. "The Durmstrang champion is Viktor Krum." After waiting for the cheering to die down, another piece of paper shot up out of the Goblet to which Dumbledore seized again. It was pink. "The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour." Again, there was cheering and Fleur's fellow students gave her several hugs and kisses.

"The Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory!"

Again, the whole hall erupted with cheers.

Dumbledore clapped his hands together. "Excellent! We now have our three champions. But in the end, only one will go down in history. Only one will hoist this chalice of champions, this vessel of victory the Triwizard Cup!"

He gestured to a large, blue crystal chalice sitting beside the Goblet of Fire. Everyone in the halls eyed it with delight. Just then, their delight disappeared and was replaced with shock as the Goblet spewed forth another scrap of paper. Dumbledore reacted visibly with just as much confusion and he caught it with one hand. He studied the name briefly and his eyes darkened before he searched the entire hall, his voice thundering out of him.

"HARRY POTTER!"

O

Harry was nearly bombarded with questions and accusations from Maxime, Crouch and the others who felt that he had cheated. Snape, Dumbledore, McGonagall and even Hermione were among the few who didn't believe he was capable of doing anything like that.

"Harry wouldn't have done something like this," Hermione said.

Maxime glared at her. "How do you know?" she snapped, "He could have had a student do it for him!"

"I never would have!" Harry insisted.

Hermione avoided Snape's gaze and shook her head, turning to Dumbledore. "Headmaster?"

Dumbledore sighed and looked at Crouch. "We leave this to you, Barty." he said.

Crouch looked grave. "The rules are absolute. The Goblet of Fire constitutes a binding magical contract. Mr. Potter has no choice." He turned to look at Harry now. "He is, as of tonight a Triwizard champion."

That evening, Harry received cold, accusatory stares from his fellow classmates. What made it terrible was the fact that Ron seemed absolutely angry at Harry for this. He had spent the entire trip back to the Gryffindor Common Room with Hermione in tow angrily chewing Harry out.

"Might've let your best friend know, though." he snapped.

Harry scowled. "I didn't ask for this to happen, Ron. Okay?" he shot back, "You're being stupid."

Hermione looked stunned at Harry's comment. Ron frowned miserably at that. "Yeah, that's me. Ron Weasley, Harry Potter's stupid friend."

"I didn't put my name in that cup!" Harry insisted, "I don't want eternal glory!"

Hermione was staring out the window as their conversations disappeared and they walked into the common room without so much as a second glance. There was a shadow darting through the edge of the Forbidden Forest. For a moment, she felt the flashback of Belial surge through her head, but she didn't get the same icy chill through her back as before, so it couldn't have possibly been him. The shape moved about through the edge of the forest and disappeared.

Hermione thought of following to see what it was and then contemplated finding someone else. Then, she thought that it might have been best to just ignore it and returned to her room to get some sleep. McGonagall was preparing for rest as well.

"Sleep well, Miss Granger," the Transfiguration teacher said.

She smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

She entered her new room and shut the door behind her. Moments later, Snape came around the corner and raised his fist to knock on the door and hesitated, sensing McGonagall standing there watching him with a concerned look.

"I wouldn't, Severus..." she advised.

Snape glared at her. "She cannot stay mad forever!"

Hermione could hear the arguing outside of her room and painfully looked up at the portraits staring back with pity. Even Burch looked less-bitter than he usually did.

"I don't think she's angry Severus," McGonagall told him.

"Then why is she not speaking to me?" Snape demanded. He knocked on the door. "Hermione, come out." A pause. "Please, let's put an end to this ridiculousness. Talk to me." No answer and Snape scowled. "I will stand out here all night if I have to!"

McGonagall cringed at the familiar sight of Snape pulling up a chair and sitting beside Hermione's door. She only wished that Hermione would speak to him. She didn't want to see another event like the incident with Lily Evans happen again.

O

Hermione was disgusted to see Rita Skeeter arrive at Hogwarts the next morning. She crossed paths with her as she walked down the halls.

"Well, look who it is!" Skeeter said, with a cold smile, "How's things been between you and bird nose?"

Hermione glared at her. "None of your damn business."

"Of course it is," Skeeter told her, smirking, "Eventually anyway."

Hermione leaned forward and spoke her next words menacingly. "Mark my words, Skeeter," she warned, "I'll find out how you're getting this information and I will end it right there. No threat. That's a damn promise."

Skeeter smiled calmly and turned, walking away.

Hermione glared after her, wanting to set her horrible dress on fire with a simple spell. She hated her existence and wanted nothing more than to make her pay for her lies.

"Hermione..."

She turned and spotted Harry, Krum, Fleur and Cedric walking up. They had been dressed properly for photo and she had to guess that Skeeter had finished taking her photos and gathered their interviews for her paper.

"Harry," she said, "How'd it go?"

Harry cringed, "Not well."

Krum nodded his head and spoke in a thick accent. "She is a problem."

Hermione couldn't agree more with that. "Yes, thank you Viktor," she said, "I couldn't agree more."

"I thought it went smoothly," Fleur piped up.

Hermione made a face and she and Harry walked together while the other three walked away.

"They have dragons, Hermione," Harry told her, "That's the first task."

Hermione blinked, stunned. She looked around, watching as several students sneered at Harry before whispering. "Dragons?" she said, "Are you sure?" When he nodded, she frowned at him now. "Where did you hear this?"

"I didn't hear it. I saw it." Harry smiled weakly. "From Hagrid naturally."

She looked around briefly once more. "Okay, do you know what you're going to do?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. But you'll have to see yourself."

O

Harry had been correct after all.

Hermione had gone to Hagrid about it and sure enough, the first task was dragons. The champions gathered in their tent to prepare and Hermione went to find Harry. He was standing amid the group, wearing black and red robes with his name stitched into the back. She quickly hid herself behind a tent flap and hissed softly for Harry. He looked around for the source of the sound before he noticed Hermione on the other side.

"Harry? How are you feeling? Okay?" she whispered.

He made a small sound that didn't seem entirely convincing. Hermione groaned nervously. She didn't want to see Harry become dragon food. "The key is to concentrate. After that, you just have to-" she began.

"Battle a dragon." Harry finished for her.

Hermione winced and pushed her way into the tent, giving Harry a tight embrace. Somewhat uncomfortable, Harry returned the hug as awkward as he ever could. Before they knew it, there was a flash of light and Skeeter was walking into the tent with her crew behind her.

"Oh! A forbidden love between a teenage boy and a grown woman!" she gushed, "How lovely!" Hermione glared venomously at her and she smirked. "If everything goes unfortunately today you two may even make the front page."

Just then, Krum stepped in her path. "You have no business here," he said, in a warning tone, "This tent is for champions and friends."

Hermione had the utmost pleasure in seeing Skeeter wither under his stare. She shrugged her shoulders calmly and turned with her crew, gesturing for them to leave. "No matter," she replied, "We've got what we wanted."

Then, Dumbledore entered the tent with Igor, Maxime and Crouch at his side. "Good day, champions. Gather round, please. Now, you've waited, you've wondered, and at last the moment has arrived. A moment only four of you can fully appreciate." He glanced back at Hermione and then did a double-take, confused by her presence. "What are you doing here, Miss. Granger?"

Hermione smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I'll just go."

She walked to the stadium and found it packed with spectators. The ground below was rigid and dangerously rocky. After waiting several hours, she could see something moving below in the shadows of the rocks. It's body was covered in thick scales and it had a crest entirely of sharp, jagged spikes. It was a dragon; a real living, breathing dragon. Its tattered wings spread wide as it stretched with a bellowing roar to follow. A thick iron chain bolted it down to the make - shift rocky terrain.

The Hungarian Horntail.

O

Seeing Harry struggling to fight off the dragon was madness. The crowd occasionally cheered and some laughed mockingly at his struggles. Hermione was on pins and needles seeing him being tossed around by the dragon's tail like an old rag doll.

"Harry!" she shouted, cupping her mouth, "Use your wand!"

Harry must have heard because he raised his wand and uttered a spell that she couldn't hear, but didn't need to because she already knew what he was doing. Suddenly, his Firebolt screamed through the air and he hopped onto it, inches before the Horntail could snap him up in its jaws. She cheered excitedly and clapped her hands with a whoop, nearly jumping in the stands and knocking Ron off of his feet in the process.

Harry disappeared over the edge of the stadium and made a dash for the golden egg, but a stream of flames from the Horntail forced him to duck to the side to avoid being cooked alive. The dragon pursued and with a heavy sound, it yanked the chain completely off and gave chase. The audience gasped in shock and horror and ducked as the Horntail narrowly avoided tearing them down with its massive wings, pursuing Harry into the clouds.

Everyone sat at the edge of their seats, wondering if Harry was going to come out of it in one piece. The air was still and silent and it seemed to take forever for any kind of sign. They looked around and peered through the skies. A shape began to appear. As everyone squinted, they could see that it was Harry riding up on his now heavily damaged broom. His face was covered in black soot and his robes were burned.

Everyone cheered wildly.

"YES!" Hermione cried, with glee, "YES!"

Harry swooped down on his broom and snatched the egg right up from its perch on the rock tips. Everyone continued to cheer and clap for him.

Later that evening, the entire Gryffindor Common Room was buzzing with excitement as Harry carried the egg in his hands. Hermione was relieved to see that he and Ron were starting to talk again. That was good. She hated seeing them argue.

"Go on, Harry. What's the clue?" Ginny prodded.

Harry grinned and flashed the egg at them. "Who wants me to open it?" he asked.

The entire room shouted. "Yes!"

Harry nodded and popped the top of the egg open. Suddenly, an ear-piercing scream filled the entire room and everyone cried out, covering their ears. Harry immediately shut the egg and it was quiet once more. Ron's eyes widened.

"What the bloody hell was that?" he demanded.


	17. 17

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the end of the first chapter was borrowed from the film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out.

"The key to change... is to let go of fear."

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Seventeen**

_1995_

"I'll kill her! I'll kill her myself!"

Hermione stormed through the Great Hall and approached Harry and Ron who were sitting at their table. She slapped a paper down in front of them. They leaned forward to look and there was an article about Harry and herself.

"'Miss Granger, a plain but ambitious woman seems to be developing a taste for famous wizards as well as young boys'," Ron read, " 'Her latest prey, sources report is none other than Harry Potter. No word yet on how Hogwarts professor Severus Snape is taking this latest emotional blow'."

Hermione shrieked with rage and grabbed the paper, crumbling it up into a ball. Her shriek drew the attention of students around her and they stepped aside. "First I'm a tart and now she's made me out to be some kind of nonce!"

Harry and Ron gave her a sheepish collection of smiles.

"We know that's not what you are at all, Hermione," Ron said.

Hermione scoffed and gave him a furious look that nearly chilled his blood where he sat. "It's sweet of you to say that, but it really doesn't change anything at all Ronald!" she spat, "Your opinion is utterly insignificant compared to what the whole damn London populace thinks! I could lose my job before I've even STARTED IT!" She was almost screaming now and she didn't see Nigel standing beside her. He meekly scampered off and she sighed, slapping a hand over her face. "Great, now everyone's going to think I'm a psychopath..."

Ron decided to change the subject and gestured to the package in front of him. "Oh, look, Mum's sent me something," he said, "Let's check it out, shall we?" He opened the parcel and Ginny and the Weasley twins circled him.

Ron looked mortified by the sight of the thing.

"Mum sent me a dress." he stammered, weakly.

Fred smirked. "Well, it does match your eyes. Is there a bonnet?" he joked.

Ron flashed Harry a cold look when a smirk crossed his lips. "Nose down, Harry." he snapped. He looked back at Ginny. "Ginny, these must be for you. There has to be some kind of mistake."

Ginny shook her head. "I'm not wearing that, it looks like a clown suit."

Hermione frowned as they argued and reached into the box. She stared down at a card and a smile lit her lips now. "They weren't sent here for Ginny. They're for you, Ron." She cocked her head. "They're dress robes, I think."

Ron looked sick. "Dress robes? For what?"

O

McGonagall had made the announcement regarding the Yule Ball.

Some were excited about it whereas others were a bit uneasy. Hermione was nervous in particular because she had no one to go to the dance with. Then again, she could always go alone and still have a good time. She followed Ron and Harry as they walked through the courtyard in hopes of finding a girl or two to take out.

"Why do they have to travel in packs?" Harry groused, "How are you supposed to get one on their own to ask them?"

Ron laughed. "Blimey, Harry. You've slayed dragons. If you can't get a date, who can?"

Harry grimaced. "I think I'd take the dragon right now."

Hermione was then stopped by Igor and he grinned at her, showing his yellow, crooked teeth. She could see Harry and Ron uneasily moving away and wished that they wouldn't. "Hello, Hermione Granger," he greeted, "It's quite a pleasure to meet someone who has dabbled in the dark arts."

Hermione frowned indignantly. "I have not."

Igor looked a little surprised. "The incident with the demon was a lie then?"

"That was unintentional!" Hermione insisted, "I was not in control of it!"

"Ah, I see," Igor said, nodding, "However a true loss for someone who cannot appreciate something different from their own. I can. I don't see these cretins for being true about you at all. I think you're better than they give you credit for."

Hermione looked a little flustered. "What do you want, Mister Karkaroff?"

"Perhaps you would accompany me to the Yule Ball then?" he suggested, his smile cheerful, yet his eyes didn't match the look; it was a strange mix, "After all, I hear things haven't been going too smoothly between you and Severus."

Hermione made a face. "And who else knows about our problems?"

"Everyone naturally." Igor answered.

Hermione sighed in disbelief. No one had asked her and was it so bad that it came to Karkaroff asking her to the Yule Ball? Then again, there was no harm in it. It was a dance and if he was the only one to ask her then maybe she should.

"I'll think about it," she told him.

Igor smiled. "Splendid!" he said, "I shall await your answer."

He walked away and Hermione groaned, shutting her eyes tightly.

O

"This is mad. At this rate, we'll be the only ones in our year without dates." Ron griped.

"Well, us and Neville." Harry pointed out.

Ron shrugged. "Yeah, but, then again, he can take himself."

They were sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall for study period and Hermione was madly attempting to keep her face buried in her book and ignore the distracting chatter around her. She pursed her lips and gave Ron a foul look.

"It might interest you to know that Neville's already got someone." she snapped.

Ron groaned. "Now I'm really depressed." Then, he paused and looked down at Hermione when she resumed writing in her book. "Oh, um, Hermione. You're a girl."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Very well spotted."

"Come with one of us?" Ron suggested.

Harry winced and Hermione looked at Ron as if he was insane. "Are. You. Completely. Out. Of. Your. Mind?" she exclaimed, beating him on the head with her notebook with every punctuated word that streamed out of her, "Why not put NONCE all over my forehead while you're at it?"

Ron winced. "Not like a date!" he insisted, trying to duck from her notebook, "As friends!"

Hermione still glared at him. She ignored Snape as he walked by.

"Come on. It's one thing for a bloke to show up on his own," Ron told her, smiling with a shrug, "For a grown woman, it's just sad."

Hermione glowered venomously at him. "I won't be going alone, because, believe it or not, someone's asked me!" she spat.

Snape looked up sharply in surprise. He watched as she angrily stormed away, leaving her notebook behind. He picked it up and gave Ron and Harry a hard look, his voice equally stone cold. "Any one of you know who is taking her?" he asked.

They shrugged meekly.

Snape glared over his shoulder and pondered who would.

Later that day, Hermione spent the entire time wondering what she would wear. Luckily Katie, Parvati and Padma offered to help her. They went with her to Hogsmeade to find a suitable dress for her for the Yule Ball. They went to Gladrags Wizardwear and discovered how busy it was. There were other witches, wizards and Hogwart's students there purchasing clothing and dress wear for possible special events. Others were going through bargain bins and grabbing intriguing little objects.

"It has to be something simple," Hermione said, going through a rack, "I don't want to come off tawdry."

On a rack, there were a pair of socks that seemed to shriek out angrily at her. She backed up and sighed at the sight. "Gross..."

"Hermione, how about this?" Katie suggested.

She turned and noticed that Katie was holding up a lovely ocean blue dress. It was smooth and silky to her touch and had a lovely stitch design to it around the edges. She held it up to her chest and looked at the others for approval.

"Well?" she said, "What do you think?"

Padma shrugged her shoulders and tilted her head thoughtfully. "It needs something..."

Hermione arched a brow. "Like?"

Parvati smiled. "What about that necklace you got?"

Hermione's smile melted away and she furrowed her brow. A wave of heat filled her chest. "What about it?"

"You could wear that."

Hermione furrowed her brow and thought about that. It wouldn't be proper to do such a thing. Then again, she wanted to look her best...

Tonight was going to be rather uncomfortable.

O

Hermione felt nervous.

She walked down the stairway toward the Great Hall, her mind wandering about to study the lovely decorations around her. She almost missed the sight of Igor waiting at the bottom of the steps with a smile on his face. When she saw him, she noticed that he was wearing a long, white coat and his hair was combed. His long goatee even appeared to be in clean shape as well. She had to admit; he didn't look all that bad.

"You look lovely, my dear!" he said, "I'm glad that you decided to come!"

Hermione took his arm when he offered it and they slowly walked into the hall. Hermione ignored the shocked looks that were turned toward her; she felt exposed and somewhat nervous to be dressed in such a way, but she also felt beautiful. Katie and the other girls had helped with her makeup and hair, so she couldn't deny that their skills were impeccable. She saw the teachers standing toward the right end of the room.

"Ignore their stares, Miss Granger," Igor said, grinning, "They're all just jealous of your beauty."

Hermione furrowed her brow at him. "Mister Karkaroff," she pointed out, "You were once a Death Eater, were you not?"

She watched a look cross his face; one of obvious unease. Then, his throat tightened and he forced a smile. "I may have been."

"I know how a man...in your position and social status must feel about Muggles and Mubble-Borns; surely the rumors that buzz around here hold some truth to them," Hermione answered, squinting at him, "Why did you come to me and ask anyway?"

Igor laughed gently. "It was all past, my dear," he said, "All in the past. I have seen the error of my ways and now know that there is beauty...and power in everything, regardless of birthright." He grinned now. "Can you not say the same for me?"

Hermione sighed. Maybe he was right; his words carried deeper meaning to her than she wanted. Maybe she should just stop being so silly and talk with Severus. After all, it would be absolutely ridiculous should she hold any grudge or give the impression of doing so.

Harry and Ron blinked, stunned when they saw Hermione walking up with Igor in her arm. "Is that Hermione?" Ron sputtered, "With Igor Karkaroff?"

"It appears so..." Harry muttered, unable to take his eyes off of her.

"She looks beautiful," Parvati said, smiling.

But from what Harry could see, Hermione didn't seem very happy. She was smiling and waving to some of her friends, but her eyes told a different story. He wanted to go over to talk with her, but didn't think that it was necessary.

"You should see Snape, mate," Ron whispered, "He looks like he's gonna have a stroke."

Harry glanced over at Snape and noticed that his eyes were wide in shock and his face was almost bright red. His jaw was set tight and he started to go forward. Ron was right; he looked like he was going to blow his top at any minute.

Hermione and Igor were dancing to the gentle waltz when Snape walked up and tapped Igor on the shoulder. They stopped and Hermione's smile disappeared.

"Igor, may I take over from here?" he asked, his voice dark, a dangerous register.

Igor smiled brightly. "But of course, Severus," he said. He looked at Hermione. "Would you care for something to drink?"

She nodded, feeling herself getting dizzy from this confrontation. "Something sweet and with a kick to it if you wouldn't mind."

Igor smiled and gave her a nod of respect. "As you wish."

Igor strolled away, leaving the two alone. Snape glowered venomously down at Hermione for some kind of explanation. "Igor Karkaroff?" he spat, "Have you the slightest comprehension of your folly or were you trying to piss me off deliberately?"

His voice was absolutely icy and strained, as if he was making every attempt to hold back his temper. Hermione flickered her gaze up and saw his eyes; two black coals with fire burning in them. She had never heard him swear in such a way. He had always kept his language at a professional basis.

"You have no right," she hissed, forcing her voice to stay calm, "He asked me and so I went with him! Embarrassing me like this - "

"You cannot see what it is that he's doing?" Snape snarled, gesturing with one hand over her shoulder. He was keeping his voice down to a low hiss, trying to keep from being noticed, "He knows everything there is to know about you; your ability to slightly drain magic because of Belial's curse; your encounter with the demon. He WANTS that!"

Hermione glowered at him now from the tops of her eyes and she jabbed a dangerous finger into his chest, a gesture that nearly knocked him back. "First you insult me by keeping things from me, then you have me hear it from someone second hand because you're too damn afraid to tell me the truth and now you want to embarrass me in front of everyone on this wonderful night?" Her words sped out of her at a high-speed and furious pace. "HOW DARE YOU?"

Snape blinked rapidly, trying to take every bit of that in before he clenched his teeth and hissed out. "You never said a damn word on the matter before! How is that any better than what I did?" he challenged, "Don't act so perfect!"

"You never denied it!" Hermione shot back, clenching her fists at her sides, "It wouldn't have bothered me if you had denied it!"

"It was my business alone and it was in the past!"

Hermione gritted her teeth furiously and shot out the next words that she knew she would regret later. Her mind screamed a warning at her not to go where she was going to go, but instead, she ignored it completely.

"I hate your guts! You are the most thankless, insensitive sod I've ever met in my life!" she shouted, "No wonder Lily decided to marry someone else!"

That caused a hush to fall across the entire room. The music skidded to a halt and everyone looked up in shock from what they were doing. Dumbledore had caught this and his eyes widened. He looked at Hermione and she stared around the room, wondering why everyone was looking at them.

"Miss Granger..." Dumbledore whispered, unable to speak for the first time.

Hermione suddenly realized that she may have gone too far when Snape hung his head and his eyes disappeared behind his black locks. He wasn't showing it, but what she had said probably stung worse than anything he had ever endured. She may as well had just stabbed a knife into his chest.

"Oh, oh my God..." she whispered, shaking her head. "I didn't mean to say-Oh no..."

She turned in shame and sprinted out of the room.

O

Hermione found a perfectly good spot to hide. She remained in her fox form for most of the evening and hid from Igor and the rest of the school. She was so embarrassed and so ashamed of herself. She thought that Snape was out to make a fool of her and she only succeeded in doing that to herself. Hermione made a small howling sound, expressing all of her grief before she quickly ducked behind a pillar to avoid being seen as Ron and Harry made their way outside.

"I think that bloke's got a bit more than friendship on his mind," Ron muttered, "He's just using her. I know he's using her."

Harry sighed and gave his friend a skeptical frown. "Ron, she can take care of herself."

Ron rolled his eyes. "I doubt it. He's way too old."

Hermione's fur ruffled and she hissed furiously in silence so that they would not hear her. How could Ron say such things?

"I don't think it's out place to tell Hermione who she can and cannot be with," Harry argued, "We can only give her advice and be done with it."

Hermione wanted to smile at that. At least Harry understood.

"Wait...did you know about them?" Ron demanded.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. So what?"

"You didn't think I'd want to know?"

"You're not her mother, Ron," Harry snapped, "And really, I don't think there's going to be anything going on anymore anyway. Did you see the look on Snape's face when he left to check the carriages for snoggers?"

Ron suddenly relaxed and sighed. "Yeah, I guess. He did look pretty bad."

Hermione's ears flattened against her head. Now she really felt low.

O

The next morning was the start of the next task for the champions. Everyone was gathered around the edge of the lagoon on a wooden bridge while the competitors were dressed in swimming attire. Hermione watched the scene and avoided everyone's eyes. She said a small prayer for Harry before stepping aside to the edge of the bridge, avoiding Snape's gaze. Dumbledore placed his wand to his neck and bellowed out; SILENCE, to which everyone hushed and covered their ears.

"Last night, something was stolen from each of our champions. A treasure of sorts," he told them, "These four treasures, one for each champion now lie on the bottom of the Black Lake. In order to win each champion need only find their treasure and return to the surface."

Harry nodded his head anxiously and Moody shoved something in his mouth; Gillyweed. "Put that in your mouth." he ordered.

Harry swallowed the foul-tasting weed.

"Simple enough, except for this: They will have but one hour to do so, and one hour only," Dumbledore continued, "After that, they'll be on their own. No magic will save them. You may begin at the sound of the cannon."

Before he barely finished, the cannon beside him went off and the champions dove into the water. Hermione stretched out to see as Harry fell into the water last. He was squirming and struggling for some reason.

"What's the matter with him?" Igor muttered.

Hermione shook her head. "I don't know, I can't see him."

After several moments, Fleur appeared through the water, struggling to fend of Grindylow's. Her wand repelled most of them and she struggled to get back onto the bridge. Maxime helped her up and Dumbledore made the announcement.

"The Beauxbatons champion, Miss Delacour has unfortunately been forced to retire so she will take no further part in this task." he announced.

Krum appeared shortly afterwards, dragging Ginny on his half - transfigured shark back. She choked up some water and Igor cheered, clapping his hands. Several of the Bulgarians cheered as well for their fellow student.

Cedric arrived behind him with Cho Chang in his arms and everyone waited for Harry.

And they waited for what felt like forever.

Finally, Harry emerged from the lagoon, coughing out streams of water. He was carrying a Beauxbatons student in his arms and swam up to the bridge, panting. The Gillyweed must have worn off because he no longer had gills or webbed hands.

"Harry!" Hermione called, bending down to help him.

She pulled him up onto the bridge where they gathered a towel to dry him off.

"Personally, I think you behaved admirably," she said.

Harry gave her a weak look. "I finished last, Hermione."

After taking some time to gather the champions and award points, Dumbledore granted Harry many more than both Krum and Cedric because of his risk to save two students instead of just one. That caused Igor to snap furiously at him. Dumbledore would hear none of it and they began to disband. Hermione lingered and gazed down into the water. She knotted her brow and squinted into the murkiness below. Several shapes began to swim toward her. Just as she started to pull away from the edge of the bridge, something grabbed her arm and yanked her down into the water.

The splash reached those ahead and they turned, frowning at the spot Hermione had once occupied.

"Hey, wasn't Hermione here a minute ago?" Ron asked.

In the water, Hermione struggled to be free from several Grindylow's that grabbed and bit at her. She attempted to reach for her wand in her robes, but four Grindylow's seized her wrist and yanked it back with surprising strength.

Above the water, Snape peered down in shock. "Hermione!" he shouted.

"She can't swim!" Harry told him, "Do something!"

Snape was already in the water before anyone could do anything.

"And now Severus is in the water..." Igor muttered, "They're mad, they are."

Hermione's lungs were on fire, screaming for air. She squirmed and felt herself slowly being dragged down into oblivion. The last thing she saw was something red streak through the water and the black shape of Severus as he swam to reach her, his wand blasting the creatures aside.

O

Everyone gathered around Hermione as Snape struggled to resuscitate her. He cast Anapneo and Hermione's eyes suddenly snapped open and a streak of water gushed from her mouth. They relaxed and laughed with relief. Hermione winced and cleared her throat of the water before she looked up at Snape; he was dripping wet. Her shame became too much to bear and she stared at him with pain. He smiled weakly in return.

"Severus," she said. "I don't hate you..."

He blinked a bit, surprised by her comment and she smiled sadly at him, quickly throwing her arms around his neck, murmuring "I'm sorry" over and over again. He awkwardly returned the embrace, not comfortable displaying affection in front of the others.

"It's alright," he told her, gently.

Igor chuckled dryly. "Severus the hero," he mused, "Now I've seen it all."


	18. 18

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the end of the first chapter was borrowed from the film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out.

"The key to change... is to let go of fear."

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Eighteen**

_1995_

Hermione shivered, struggling to gather warmth in front of the fireplace that Snape had made for her. She couldn't stop looking around his office and sleeping quarters at the bizarre objects that lined the walls.

"Here..." Snape offered, holding out a cup.

Hermione sniffed it and she smiled. "Hot chocolate?"

He chuckled and took a spot beside her on the fur rug. "There's no other kind of chocolate."

Hermione couldn't resist her small giggle and she took a sip. It slowly began to warm her entire body and soothe her sore throat from the gulps of lagoon water that she has swallowed. She couldn't resist the urge to glance sideways to Snape. He was calmly watching the fire, the orange glow bouncing off of his angular features. In a way, he reminded her of a bird with that large nose. It wasn't unattractive actually. She couldn't picture him with a smaller nose. It was Snape.

"Severus, I can understand if you'd want to condemn me for all eternity for what I said to you," she said, miserably, "It was horrible. I never should have said those things."

Snape chuckled and shook his head. "Don't be sorry. You were right."

She blinked. "What?"

"I was a rather insufferable fool back then," he explained, "Perhaps if I had been a bit different, Lily would never have departed from me."

"Still, it was uncalled for, my behavior," Hermione argued, taking another sip of her hot chocolate, "I shouldn't have said what I said. It was personal and I had no right bringing that up." She groaned and shook her head. "God, I'm a horrible person..."

"No, no you're not," Snape told her, turning so that he could give her his full - attention, "Anything but that, Hermione."

She was quiet for a moment and tried to ponder what he said. She leaned forward and felt herself move closer to him. The heat increased when she pressed herself against his chest and an ache wove itself tightly in her lower back.

Snape's eyes closed half - way and he looked down at her with a fire that flickered in his gaze; almost the same as the one she had seen in the ball room, but this one was different. There was a new meaning there. She tilted her head up in invitation and he gladly accepted, placing his lips over hers. He mumbled against her mouth in surprise when he felt her hands move to his face and her weight settle onto his lap.

"Hermione...wait," he breathed, parting from her, "Don't."

She tilted her head in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"You can't..." Snape panted, when she kissed the corner of his mouth and parted with a small nibble of her teeth to his lower lip, "It's not-"

A smile lit her lips and he saw all the love that she had for him laid bare before his eyes. The sight made him moan softy and tremble beneath her. He moved forward and pressed his lips firmly against hers and for that second, the world disappeared around him. His head spun when she opened her mouth partially to allow his tongue to delve inside and her own rose slightly to meet him. Snape made another desperate sound when she took his hand and placed it against her chest.

"Please..." she pleaded.

Snape pulled away and looked at her, his face flushed. His arms were shaking against her robes and she could feel the muscles tense and flex. "Hermione, this isn't what you want," he panted, "It should be with-"

"Someone I love?" she finished for him, "I am with someone I love, Severus. I want my first to be you and no other."

Snape blinked rapidly. "With me..." he whispered, almost as if he couldn't believe it.

She took his hand and returned it to her breast. He gently took the time to stroke and rub the softness beneath his hand. He could feel the hardness of her nipple stabbing into his palm and he returned to rub it again. She moaned appreciatively, bucking instinctively against his leg. He bucked back and she felt his hardness against her knee. His breath slightly hitched against her mouth and he carefully fondled the soft flesh for several moments as he kissed her.

Hermione felt light headed against the feelings of his hands on her. Finally, he parted from her to allow them both a chance to catch their breath. She smiled and he returned the smile back, though his was much more nervous than hers should have been. He was going to give her her very first experience of love making. Merlin knew it had been a while since he had ever been intimate with anyone; he didn't want to disappoint her.

"Are you afraid?" he asked.

"A little." she admitted.

Snape leaned forward to bring his mouth to her exposed neck, moistening the flesh there with his lips and tongue. She ran her hands down his back carefully and slowly, tracing a few muscles through the black robes that he wore.

"Don't be," he whispered, even though he was afraid as well, "I would never hurt you. Let's take it as slow as you need."

Hermione's eyes softened and she smiled; he could see some kind of relief there. Surely she wasn't entirely unfamiliar with the concept. The woman spent all her time reading books and gathering information. Surely she knew something about it. He knew that Gryffindor sixth or seventh years spouted on about snogging or the effects of love making. He had trouble keeping the students in line because he would always have to catch them in the act.

Snape's thoughts derailed when Hermione attempted to touch the flesh of his neck through his collar.

She wanted him. Someone actually wanted him.

Snape slowly and with slightly trembling hands began to lift her shirt up so that he had better access. She was wearing a violet bra and he pulled the cups down, smoothing his hand to touch her naked skin, and the stiffened nipple beneath. Hermione moaned lowly when he gently pinched the hardened bud and twisted. A hot, aching sensation wove its way through her legs. He continued to tease her before he paused and she opened her eyes curiously. His eyes smoldered with hunger and he slowly lowered his head, seizing the bud with his mouth.

"Ah!" Hermione cried, arching her hips.

He sucked lightly on the hard flesh for a few moments before he began to suck harder like a child nursing. When he turned attention to the other nipple, she uttered a quick gasp of pleasure, her hips unconsciously thrusting in time to his sucks. Even the sounds caused a warm blush to touch her cheeks. When he lifted his head and the nipple left his mouth with a small popping sound, he met her gaze with a smile.

"Come..."

Hermione felt herself pulled to her feet and her mouth captured in a searing kiss that melted her inside, causing her legs to shudder. She parted briefly, her breath coming out in heavy gasps. She met his gaze with her own and slowly pulled the shirt over her head. Her bra fell afterwards and she could hear an explosion of breath escape him - one of apparent surprise. He was staring her up and down with need and wide eyes, studying each and every feature laid bare before him.

"My Gods..." he gasped, "I certainly hope that I am not dreaming..."

She felt herself blush at such a comment. "Surely you've seen better..."

His arms slipped around her and she jumped at the feel of his hands against her skin. "Never." he hissed, his voice straining out of him.

Hermione felt herself barely held up in his arms as he pushed her against the wall nearest the fireplace. His hand moved down between her breasts slowly, agonizingly across her flat stomach and to the spot between her legs. She jumped briefly and he whispered something in her ear before slowly rubbing his hand back and forth there. Hermione uttered a soft, desperate cry and couldn't stop her hips from moving in time with his strokes.

"Yes," he whispered into her ear.

She gripped his arm as he rubbed her back and forth; heat pooled toward that area and it occurred to her that it must have been rather embarrassing for him to endure when she felt herself growing damp at his touch. Quite the opposite. When he felt it, he sucked in a sharp breath that diminished into a sigh. His fingers slowly worked their way to the button of her black pants and he popped them open, sliding his hand inside.

He didn't even pay much mind to his own erection that he felt; he felt the sheer, rapidly building surge to want to find his ease into her, but he had to be patient and not rush this through. Her first time had to be savored and enjoyed.

Snape pressed one of her hands against the wall and he reached deeper inside to stroke her through her knickers. She couldn't move against him and squirmed with quick, desperate whimpers escaping her lips. He wasn't holding her too tightly, but just hard enough so that he could torment her to his liking without really harming her. To his delight, she began to get even wetter at his gentle rubbing, anticipating much more than just petty teasing.

She stared up into his eyes with a dazed, hungry look, a warm blush surrounding her cheeks and neck. "Y-Yes..." she whispered, "There...please there..."

His eyes looked almost black in the shadows and warm glow of the fire. He smiled and studied her face, willing to find those reactions that would teach him exactly what she liked. He bit his lip slightly when she practically soaked his hand with her dampness. She looked almost ashamed of herself though and it made his stomach twist.

"You like that," he whispered, "It's okay to like it."

She blinked and slowly nodded.

Finally, he took her undergarments and slid them down her legs, working slowly and tantalizingly graceful. Once that was taken care of, his hand lightly moved back to her womanhood. She felt so hot and wet that he nearly exploded just from touching her alone. She felt so soft against his rough hands and so slick. His thumb found that rough little bump and he rubbed it lightly. Hermione nearly screamed and she watched him with half-closed eyes, panting softly through kiss-swollen lips.

By the Gods, she looked beautiful like this.

"You're so hot...so wet for me..." he whispered, in a deep, hungry purr.

Finally, without warning, his fingers found her warm opening and he slowly circled it. Hermione cried out and looked at him, feeling a pinch of pain there.

"I have to prepare you, my dear," he told her, "If I don't, it could hurt."

She nodded, though her body was still rigid in pain and her hand was gripping his arm. Snape didn't want her to feel that way for too long so he took his time, gradually rubbing the little opening with one hand while he rubbed her sides and face with the other. He carefully worked his way into her hot, tight entrance and immediately felt the inner walls close around him. The sensation of his fingers felt incredible; he couldn't wait.

He pounded his finger into her slowly before applying a second one, listening to her moans increase in volume. He did this for a few moments more, just loving her with his fingers before he slowly pulled them out and carried them to his lips, tasting the sweetness of her body. She blushed harder at the sight, her legs quivering beneath her.

He quickly removed his own coverings and slid the pants down her legs until nothing stood between them. Hermione took a moment to let her eyes savor the sight before her; he wasn't large, but his body was filled with thin, slightly taut muscle. Her eyes caught sight of the Dark Mark branded in his arm and she said nothing on the matter. Most folks knew that Snape had once been a Death Eater. Still, she couldn't resist the shiver at the sight of it.

Her thoughts immediately derailed when he pulled her down to the fur rug and placed her onto his lap, leaning himself against the edge of the couch for support. Her eyes widened in surprise at this action and he smiled up at her.

"How does the Gryffindor feel about being up there?" he purred, "I know that you possess a rather dominating streak. Shall I indulge you?"

She couldn't resist her smile. "Then you'd be wise to do so, Severus."

She felt oddly powerful sitting there, staring down at him with her hands against his chest. She could feel his need pressed against the side of her leg and decided to try something. She began to move her hips, letting herself feel his manhood rub against her folds. The action made his eyes shut tight and he set his teeth with a loud hiss. He tossed his head and gripped her hips, arching in an attempt to unify their bodies.

"Witch!" he gasped.

She smirked and tried to calm her racing heart as she continued to move her hips. She batted his hands away. "Nope, no touching, Severus," she scolded with an amused laugh, "This time, it's my turn to tease you."

He glared at her, sneering. The action was all but amusing to watch because his eyes screamed with need. "Sly fox..."

Then, he quickly chanted something that she couldn't make out; it sounded like a spell of some kind that she had never heard of before and then he adjusted himself so that their hips met. His eyes met hers as well, and for a long moment, neither one said anything. Hermione leaned forward and pressed her lips against his chin and moved her hips forward slightly. This caused her entrance to brush against the tip of him and it cause Snape to shudder beneath her with a desperate snarl.

"Please..." he whispered, his voice coming out in a low growl.

Hermione moved a little more against him and his hands immediately went to her hips. He hissed at her and began to move in time with her, pushing his hips forward as slow as he could. She made a surprised sound and immediately tensed up.

"Relax..." he told her.

She forced herself to relax every muscle as he slowly pushed the tip of himself into her. Her voice strained out of her in a soft plea and she felt a sharp twinge of pain shoot up the length of her back. Her fingers clutched his shoulders and she gritted her teeth, fighting to relax. She could hear a low moan escape him and echoed it with a soft cry of her own. He inched himself into her slowly and gently, careful not to do harm to her; his hands slid up and down her inner thighs to soothe her.

It worked. The pain was starting to ebb away into a pleasing tingle.

"Oh God..." Hermione whispered, voice tight with pleasure.

He pulled out and pushed back in a few times, allowing for her inner muscles to accommodate him. She was so wet; it allowed for his hardness to move easily into her. The sensations were incredible; it left his head spinning. After a few wiggles and pushes, he was completely buried inside of her. He looked up dazedly as she wrapped those glorious legs around his waist and slid her arms around his shoulders for support. She was shivering and moaning softly with ecstasy.

"How does it feel?" he asked, rasping the words out of his lips. "Does it hurt?"

Hermione shuddered in his arms; his voice made her entire body prickle with warmth. She lifted her head to look down into him. His eyes were slightly closed and his mouth parted in a breathless gasp. He looked so beautiful like this; there was a roguish smile to his face and she had a sense that he was attempting to restrain himself for her sake.

"No. Not anymore." she whispered. Her eyes fell shut as he moved slowly, lovingly stroked her rigid walls over and over. She uttered a surprised gasp after several moments and her head fell back. A sign that her body was beginning to accept him. "It's so good..." She couldn't even finish her sentence; her nails dug into the flesh of his back.

He gritted his teeth and pressed his lips against hers, whispering softly. "Yes..." he moaned, "Gods yes!"

Then, he slowly inched himself out of her until the very tip was encased in hot warmth before he pushed his way back in, hard. She came alive above him, crying out and her hips arched up to meet the powerful thrust. He was so hard by now, practically pulsating within her and he was certain that he was probably wasn't going to last very long in this. He struggled to maintain his sanity as he worked himself in and out. He groaned when he felt her inner walls flutter around him.

"You're so tight," he breathed, against her shoulder, "You feel so good..."

He pulled out and thrust back in again as she pushed back against him. His tongue licked his lips and he uttered low, deep sounds of satisfaction. Panting profoundly, she tightened her legs around his waist to deepen the penetration. When his organ brushed against the bundle of nerves within, she arched her hips and cried out his name with wild abandon, earning a delicious grin from him.

"Is that your spot?" he whispered, thrusting against that same spot over and over again.

Hermione tried to keep pace with him, but she couldn't quite meet the speed that he was thrusting into her. She didn't care either; her body was on fire and slowly coming undone. She arched her hips and called out his name in such a way that made him growl in response.

"Oh yes...I'm so close...!" Hermione cried, here head lolling back.

"Me too...!" he panted.

Snape could feel every rippling sensation where their bodies were joined and his insides began to pull tight, uncoil and stretch to a near breaking point. Her inner walls began to tighten around him, trying to resist his movements and it became that much harder to hold back, to enjoy this for as long as it could last. He looked down, watching himself pull out of her body, only to shove his way back in. Every bit of his flesh felt sensitive, every nerve was screaming like the inner beast within him as he shoved his way within her as fast as he could.

"Severus!" she cried, her voice higher than usual.

"Yes," he growled, intensely, "Gods yes. Come for me."

Hermione felt herself growing hotter, tighter and every inch of her flesh strained for completion.

"Come for me," he repeated, hissing sharply as if it were an order, "Come for me right now."

And it hit her harder than anything every had in her entire life. She screamed from her orgasm, her head arching back and she let the impact of it wash through her entire body. He watched her beautiful, almost tormented expressions as she literally gave herself to him, surrendered her body to his and his alone. She moaned his name desperately when he continued moving in and out of her, desperate for his own release. His head tossed back against his shoulders and he was slack-jawed one moment before his teeth clenched and he groaned louder every time he thrust into her.

"Hermione..." he groaned, over and over. "Oh Gods, Hermione…!" And there it was. An expression of sheer, beautiful torment.

She heard herself screaming as he reached his climax, his hot seed shooting deep inside of her.

His entire body went almost limp and he held her close for several long moments, their heavy breathing the only real sounds in the air. She could feel his heartbeat beating wildly against her own chest. They slowly collapsed to the fur rug, taking the moment to hold each other in the aftermath. Hermione pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek and his eyes opened; he stared at her with wonder and exhaustion, but he was satisfied. Much to his delight, she looked the same way.

O

"Are you...alright?" he panted.

She made a small purring sound. "More than alright, actually."

Snape ran his hand up and down her side and she fingered with a damp lock of his hair. She was positively glowing and still smiling.

"I didn't know it could feel that way," she continued; she met his gaze with a look that made his chest swell with pride.

"Your first time should always be memorable," Snape told her.

She chuckled. "I'll definitely remember it."

They spent most of the time holding each other and resting near the fireplace. Then, Hermione lifted her head and gave Snape a curious look. She propped her elbow up and rested her head in her hand.

"Severus, can you tell me about her?" she asked.

"Who?"

"Lily."

He looked surprised. "You'd want to talk about that after we - "

"I want to know what she was like," Hermione argued with a smile, "She was your first love after all." She watched the hesitation in his eyes and laughed gently. "Go ahead, Severus. It won't bother me. I promise."

Despite his uncertainty, he obliged. He told her everything that had happened between Lily and himself; how he had met her, what they had gone through together and what he found attractive in her to begin with. All the while, he watched Hermione's reactions, but she was just intently listening the entire time. She didn't seem upset by his confession of his loving Lily or displeased with his feelings either. She was just...listening.

When he got to the part when Lily refused to listen to him any longer when he had called her a Mud - Blood, Hermione looked displeased now.

"Well that's ridiculous," she said, "She should have at least heard you out."

Snape arched a brow. "You mean like you did?"

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "I know. I know. That was stupid of me," she murmured, "Had I known that I was putting you through that again."

He ran his hand up and down her back. "No, no. Don't apologize," he told her, "Not again. You were honest and truthful to yourself. Had you been anything less for my sake, I think that would have been even worse."

"Hm."

Snape patted her thigh. "Well, there's something I have to attend to first," he told her, "You are welcome to stay here tonight if you wish."

Hermione looked surprised. "What if someone comes looking?"

"That would not be their business to do so, will it?"

Hermione just laughed. "You're right."

He stood up and started dressing himself. When he was done, he bent down and gave her a parting kiss. She had never seen him look so peaceful before and so...happy. It actually made her feel proud to know that she was the cause of it.

"Sleep as long as you'd like," he told her.

When he left, she didn't bother climbing into the bed. She shifted to her fox form and just curled up on the soft fur carpet.

O

Snape nearly pushed Igor into the many bottles lining his storage closet. If he hadn't been so concerned about their condition, he would have bashed the other man's brains in right there. Igor seemed frightened by this.

"Severus, please listen!" he begged, "I only courted her because - "

Snape spoke in an icy, cold voice; enough to chill granite. "I don't care what it was, Igor!" he spat, "Stay away from her, do you understand? Your persona fears have absolutely nothing to do with her or with me!"

Igor pushed him off. "It's a sign, Severus. You know what it means as well as l." he challenged, showing the Dark Mark on his arm as well.

"I have nothing to fear, Igor," Snape challenged, "Can you say the same?"

Igor glared at him as he began to scan his racks of potions. "He is coming back, Severus!" he insisted, "He knows everything. The Granger woman can save what is left of me! You know as well as I do the Dark Lord would be intrigued with her ability to absorb magic!"

Snape didn't seem interested. "Igor, Hermione Granger is not your concern and you would do well to remember that."

Igor smirked nastily. "And what about the demon?"

"What about it?" Snape already sounded bored.

"It was banished, yes?"

"That it was. Her uncle was the sacrifice."

"It doesn't matter!" Igor hissed, "She will always have its power, no matter what the sacrifice!"

Snape thought long and hard about Igor's words and knew that he was right. But it didn't matter to him. He still had the chance to have her.


	19. 19

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the part of the first chapter was borrowed from the first film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out. Keep in mind too that some lines may be used from the movie. This fic was heavily intended for that, but overall, most will be changed. I do not lay claim to them in any way.

_"The key to change... is to let go of fear."_

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Nineteen**

_1995_

It was a free period.

Hermione spent the afternoon helping Filch in cleaning out the stables. She ended up getting her feet stuck in excrement and fell right in the mud in the process. This earned a rare laugh from Filch and a shake of pity from his head.

Hermione rolled her eyes with a smirk and used a wooden post to climb to her feet. "Yeah, yeah... " she muttered.

Filch made a sound and walked over to Miss. Norris perched on one of the wooden posts. "Finish up with that stable over there and you can go."

Hermione nodded and climbed over to the next stable where it was even more dirty than the last one. Filch couldn't help his quiet laugh of amusement at the sound of a loud splat and Hermione's furious curse that followed.

"Hurry up, girl," Filch told her, "If you want to make it to the tournament in time."

Hermione grumbled and began to scrape a clump of feces and grass up from the fence. "Oh yeah, I'm really making a difference here..."

Filch actually laughed louder than she had ever heard him. When she gave him a surprised look, his laughter immediately died and he glared at her now.

"You didn't hear that from me..." he snapped, resuming his work.

Hermione chuckled and nodded. "Your secret's safe with me."

After a long time of scraping excrement, Hermione gave herself a nice soak in the bathroom. She used a lot of bubbles and some of her aromatherapy candles that she had brought with her and placed them around the bath. For the moment, the silence was actually quite comforting. She wasn't sure when she had started to fall asleep. A voice filled her head. It was familiar and almost sounded like Belial, but it was far more gentle this time and filled with a peculiar sense of wisdom that she didn't recognize in the demon.

_"Do you know why I haunt you?"_

Hermione's brow knotted and a small murmur of unease escaped her lips.

_"I stay because I love you, my dear Hermione. You have my powers; you can steal souls if you desired. How does that feel?"_

"Shut up!" Hermione shouted, looking around the bathroom.

There was nothing there, no one around her.

Before she could relax again-figuring that it was just her imagination-Myrtle drifted up from a toilet, smiling pleasantly.

"Hello!" she said, "Are you alone?"

Hermione frowned at her. "Of course I am."

"You told someone to shut up," Myrtle pointed out. She grinned. "Are you hearing voices?"

"No." Hermione lied.

Myrtle chuckled and floated around the room before she found a spot to sit near the stained - glass window. She gave Hermione a broad smile. "You tamper with the dead, silly woman," she told her, "Just because he's gone doesn't mean his voice doesn't still exist."

"You know about Belial?"

"Mm - hmm," Myrtle replied, nodding, "The dead and demon - kind usually keep their distance, but the whispers remain the same."

"But he's gone," Hermione said, frowning, "I can still hear his voice even though he's gone?"

"You absorb magic, am I right?" Myrtle asked.

"I don't know!"

"You'd better find out soon," Myrtle pointed out with a smile, "They've been talking about it."

O

Later that day, Hermione was completely disgusted by what she read in the paper. It was a new article written by Rita Skeeter and it was about Hagrid and his giant heritage. This filled her with a sense of dread. She stormed through the corridors with a fury in her eyes that made everyone scatter.

"Damn it all to hell!" she spat, "Where is Skeeter?"

She quickly spotted Harry and Dumbledore as they quickly made their way down to Hagrid's Hut. Outside, she could see him placing a few briefcases and bags outside. They were making every attempt to try and persuade him to stay.

"Hagrid, please," Dumbledore pleaded, "There is nothing wrong with who you are."

"You think my family is any better?" Harry added, "You've seen them. They're nightmares."

Hagrid smiled sadly. "Don't ye worry about me, Harry," he told him, "I'll be fine." He paused in his packing and then turned to smile at Harry. "Good luck in yer tournament. Maybe if you win, you can show people they don't got to be ashamed of what they are."

Hermione shook her head. "Hagrid, do you really think it's been easy for me these passed few years?" she said, "Running away will only give them what they want."

He smiled sadly and gave her a big hug that nearly crushed her insides. "You're a good girl, Hermione," he told her, "Snape's one lucky guy to have you."

And he gathered his things and walked away without so much as a second glance back; his shoulders seemed more slouched than ever and even at this distance, Hermione could faintly see that he was crying because of his trembling shoulders.

"Damn that Skeeter. Damn her to hell and back again!" she hissed, in a voice that made Dumbledore and Harry look at her in surprise-more or less unease, "What I wouldn't give right now to get my hands around her skinny little throat!"

Dumbledore looked at her gently. "She has caused a lot of trouble for us," he said, "But I certainly hope you're joking."

Hermione blinked in surprise. "Of course I was!"

Dumbledore put a hand on her shoulder and ushered her to the side. He glanced back at Harry. "Prepare for the final test, Harry," he told him, "I will be there shortly."

Hermione watched Harry disappear with a frown on her face. She turned her attention to the older wizard with a confused look. He was scrutinizing her with a small hint of concern on her face and it was making her slightly uncomfortable now. Was she in trouble or something? She hadn't meant to concern him, but she just felt so out of place and angry over what the journalist had been doing that it just burst out.

"Hermione, may I ask something?" Dumbledore asked.

"Of course, sir."

"Have you felt any differently since Belial was expelled from you?"

The question was odd, but she gave an honest answer. "Not really. No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"I just ... I just remember your eyes being brown." Dumbledore furrowed his brow.

Hermione gave a small laugh at the strange response. "What?"

"Come. I'll show you."

O

Hermione looked shocked and was unable to say anything.

She no longer had the dark brown eyes that she was born with, but instead, they were almost yellow with a bleeding effect of brown mixed in. They looked so different and strange that she had to cover them a few times.

"No! No, no, no, no..." she moaned, over and over again.

Dumbledore looked disturbed. "Is it possible that you may have absorbed a portion of Belial's spirit when he passed on?"

Hermione couldn't stop staring at the strange eyes. "N-No. I mean, I don't think so," she said, "I didn't feel anything different after that."

"It would explain that violent outburst though..." Dumbledore murmured, thoughtfully.

Hermione groaned and rubbed her forehead. "Belial did mention something along those lines when we had first met on the street that night," she told him, "He said that I absorbed a small portion of his power when I wished upon his heart. He told me that even though it was small, but enough to be noticed. Maybe because I absorb magical attacks, his possession of me would be no different. Maybe there is a small part of him inside of me after all."

Dumbledore looked pained. "I see..."

Hermione threw her hands in the air and gave a sorrowful, frustrated cry. "Great! Another reason for people to think I'm some kind of freak!"

"You're not a freak, Hermione," Dumbledore said, sternly, "Never think of yourself like that. You are special."

She muttered something that he didn't hear and he placed an arm on her shoulder.

"This is quite troubling, Miss Granger, but now is not the time to be worried," he continued, "Let's go to the tournament with a smile, shall we?"

She tried, even though she wanted to cry.

O

The sounds of cheering blocked out all kind of rational thought. Hermione was sitting next to Snape and he had his coat around her body for her to keep herself warm. She was content with the warmth of his own body, but she still seemed very disturbed about seeing Harry and the rest of the challengers standing before an enormous, unsettling labyrinth made of grass, vines and trees. It looked very unwelcoming.

"Earlier today, Professor Moody placed the Triwizard Cup deep within the maze," Dumbledore announced, "Only he knows its exact position. Now, as Mr. Diggory and Mr. Potter are tied for first position they will be the first to enter the maze, followed by Mr. Krum and Miss Delacour."

The Bulgarians chanted loudly. "Come on! Krum! Krum! Krum!"

"The first person to touch the cup will be the winner!" Dumbledore continued, "I've instructed the staff to patrol the perimeter. Should, at any point, a contestant wish to withdraw from the task he or she need only send up red sparks with their wands."

Moody gestured for the four to move around him. "Contestants! Gather around. Quickly!" he ordered. When they did, he lowered his voice a dark register. "In the maze, you'll find no dragons or creatures of the deep. Instead, you'll face something even more challenging. You see, people change in the maze. Oh, find the cup if you can. But be very wary, you could just lose yourselves along the way. Good luck to you."

After a few more cheers and hugs from family members, the champions disappeared into the maze.

It was quiet for a long time and shortly after the lengthy silence, Hermione could hear the wind whistling gently through her hair.

_"He's going to die tonight, Hermione. Don't you want to save him?"_

She blinked and pinched the bridge of her nose. Snape frowned down at her worriedly. "Hermione? Is something wrong?"

She smiled weakly up at him. "I'm fine."

_"He'll die a painful death. I have seen it. You know who I speak of. That poor sweet boy...his face soaked in blood...You can save him now. You have my power. Just look through the dark and find the murderer..."_

Hermione groaned and stood up. Snape watched her in confusion. "Hermione, what-"

"He's going to die!" she cried, "I have to help him!"

Before Snape knew it, she was springing down the length of the stadium and disappeared. He tried to see where she had gone, but the sight of a large fox dashing madly into the labyrinth prevented him from stopping her in time.

"Hermione!" he shouted.

He rushed to the edge of the maze and Dumbledore stopped him. "Severus? What's wrong?" he asked.

"That blasted woman's gone into the maze!" Snape cried, "I must find her!"

Dumbledore looked surprised. "Why would she do that?"

"She thinks that someone is going to die."

Dumbledore looked horrified now. "What?"

O

Hermione ran through the frightening maze, scenting the air around her in a mad attempt to find Harry and the others. Her search yielded no results and she had to make a mad dash to avoid whipping vines and snapping plants.

"Why are you here, Hermione? Are you afraid?"

She made a soft snarling sound, her eyes searching the shadows.

_"Don't deny it; you are frightened. You have spent this moment thinking about what would happen...If the boy dies, then there is no one to take away the spotlight from you. You can be the strongest witch there is. Imagine it. Everyone would love you...Fear you."_

Another loud snarl ripped from her throat and she looked around and noticed the sight of Cedric and Harry rushing madly for the glowing shape of the cup. She made a mad dash for them, right as the walls of the labyrinth began to close behind her. Harry looked back and saw the shape of the fox, his eyes widening in the process.

"Hermione?" he gasped.

She dove through the air as a fox and landed as a woman, grabbing the cup at the precise time that the two boys did. They disappeared in a blur and reappeared outside of the maze, lying together on the cold wet grass.

"Oh! Oh God, that was..." Hermione groaned.

Harry and Cedric were slowly gathering to their feet. After they had their senses back from the travel, they both turned to Hermione in disbelief.

"Why the hell did you come after us?" Cedric demanded, "You could get into serious trouble."

"I could?" Hermione cried, angrily, "I heard a voice telling me that someone was going to die! I had to go and find you!"'

Harry and Cedric both looked shocked. "What are you talking about?" Harry asked.

Hermione realized that she might have said something completely insane and shook her head, taking in their surroundings. It appeared to be a graveyard of some kind and in the center stood an enormous stone that resembled a Reaper with wings.

"Where are we?" she wondered.

Harry blinked. "I've been here before...Little Hangleton Graveyard...in my dreams..."

Cedric seemed a little more nervous about the atmosphere and the reason that they had suddenly arrived at the graveyard. "It's a Portkey. Harry, the cup is a Portkey." he gasped, "We've been taken somewhere we shouldn't be."

Hermione closed her eyes and felt the voice return.

_"He's here..."_

Suddenly, her eyes widened and she grabbed the arms of the two boys. "Cedric! Harry! We have to get back to the cup. Now!"

"What are you talking about?" Cedric asked.

"Get back to the cup!" she shouted.

Before they could do anything, a voice hissed out and a stream of green magical light flashed through the air.

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

O

Hermione groaned weakly.

When she opened her eyes, she noticed that Harry was hanging from the Reaper statue and much to her shock, Peter Pettigrew was standing in front of him. There was a cauldron laid out in front of him and he was speaking something that she couldn't make out. She looked over and noticed the lifeless shape of Cedric lying in the grass. She groaned and struggled to crawl her way toward him. His eyes were open and deadened, the light gone.

"Cedric, no!" she moaned.

_"Did I not tell you?"_ the voice crooned, _"Poor child..."_

Hermione looked up and noticed that Pettigrew was dumping something into the cauldron that resembled a withered infant. She staggered to her feet and rushed toward him, her wand drawn with a furious shriek.

"NO!"

A force pushed her back and she stumbled into a headstone with a dull groan, knocked unconscious. Harry gasped in horror.

"Hermione, no!" he cried.

The cauldron erupted in a burst of unholy green light and the two watched in shock as a shape began to mold itself and take form; it was a hovering fleshy blob that sprouted legs, arms, and the horrible face of Lord Voldemort. Billowing black robes encircled his body and he stood there, a dark and menacing shape in the night. His terrible eyes focused onto the shape of Pettigrew and a cold smile slithered onto his lips.

"Give me my, Wormtail." he commanded, in that snake-like voice.

Pettigrew immediately obeyed and handed him a bone-white wand from his jacket. Voldemort spent the moment surveying the familiar wand before he looked down at his quivering servant once more.

"Hold out your arm." he ordered.

Pettigrew seemed absolutely honored by the request and held out what remained of his missing limb. "Master. Thank you, master."

Voldemort scowled. "The other arm, Wormtail."

Pettigrew's smile disappeared and he rolled up his sleeve, revealing the Dark Mark. Voldemort pressed his wand to it. Hermione looked around in shock as several misty shapes began to appear throughout the graveyard. Their cold masks and robes made them familiar as Death Eaters. Voldemort smiled at the sight of his minions standing there, though she could see a faint glimmer of disappointment in his eyes.

"Welcome, my friends," he said, "Thirteen years it's been, and yet..." He trailed off and his voice changed. "...here you stand before me as though it were only yesterday. I confess myself disappointed. Not one of you tried to find me."

Hermione stepped slowly aside as Voldemort began to angrily rip the masks off of a few of their faces. He stopped at one in particular and his lips curled in a cold sneer before he ripped the mask off of his face.

"Lucius..."

Thought surprised, Hermione shouldn't have been too amazed that Draco's horrible father was among them.

"My Lord, had I detected any sign, a whisper of your whereabouts-" Lucius began, trembling with fright.

Voldemort tittered. "There were signs, my slippery friend. And more than whispers."

Lucius stood up. "I assure you, my Lord, I have never renounced the old ways. The face I have been obliged to present each day since your absence that is my true mask."

Pettigrew reluctantly held up his hand. "I returned."

Voldemort whirled on him. "Out of fear, not loyalty." He hissed. He paused and watched Pettigrew cringe, as if he was going to be struck. "Still, you have proved yourself useful these past few months, Wormtail."

In that, he provided Pettigrew with a metallic hand. Hermione blinked in surprise and when she moved further back, her foot tapped a rock and the sound caused Voldemort to look straight at her. His intense, wicked eyes practically pierced into her soul.

"Ahh! The filthy Mud-Blood that I have heard so much about is among us as well?" he purred, drifting over to her.

Lucius chuckled darkly. "Yes, that's her, my Lord..."

Hermione cringed back as Voldemort moved closer to her and grabbed her tightly by her jaw, forcing her to look up at him. He was studying her eyes with a fascinated smirk on his face. His touch was absolutely frigid and his long nails almost dug deep scratches into her skin. There was no warmth and no pulse there for such a lifeless being without a soul. It was terrible to be in his presence, but in a sense, she felt less afraid of him than she had of Belial.

"The eyes of Belial himself..." Voldemort whispered, "How amusing that his gift would be blessed upon one so...unfit."

There were a few scattered laughs around them.

"Don't you touch her!" Harry shouted.

Voldemort turned and now took notice to the boy hanging there. His eyes seemed to light up in a broad smile. "Harry. I'd almost forgotten you were here," he murmured, "Standing on the bones of my father."

Hermione's eyes wandered around to the group there, trying to figure out what she could do to save Harry and not get them both killed in the process. She closed her eyes and attempted to calm herself, slowly closing out the sounds of the world around her.

_"Do you see what toy he is to evil?"_ the voice purred and she opened her eyes again, looking at Voldemort,_ "He claims to be an all - powerful wizard, but he controls with fear and false prophecies. He is still so very human and so weak."_

A quick spell forced Harry to bow before him with the robotic grace of a soldier.

"That's better. And now..." Voldemort began.

Hermione launched herself at him with her wand drawn. "No!" she shouted.

Voldemort spun around with a furious bellow and a shout of "_Crucio_". Excruciating pain shot through her body and she was down in a tumble of limbs and a pained scream. Voldemort smirked down at her keeping his wand trailed at her.

"Very brave or either very foolish," he hissed, "Which are you?"

Hermione moaned and pain, struggling to speak through the ribbons of agony slashing through her body. She grinned weakly up at him. "You're a goddamn coward!" she hissed, "Not even Belial would hide behind his precious magic like it was a crutch!"

Voldemort snarled at her. "_CRUCIO_!" he shouted.

A stronger pulse of agony ripped through her and she shrieked like a wounded animal. Panting through her nose, she struggled to stand despite the horrible sensations slashing through her body. Voldemort's eyes slightly widened. She was fighting it?

"Y-You know what?" Her words strained out of her. "I actually feel kind of bad for you, Voldemort. Always afraid of death...always alone...That has to get maddening after a while. How long are you going to run from the grim reaper?"

"_CRUCIO_!" Voldemort shrieked now, his eyes blazing with hatred and fury.

Hermione screamed again and nearly fell over. Voldemort smirked coldly at her. "Wouldn't your filthy Muggle parents be so proud of you?" he hissed, "So willing to die to save one boy. It's a pity, really. You know nothing of him."

The pain was horrible; Hermione felt tears of agony trickle down her cheeks and she struggled with everything that she had to fight it. Weakness nearly made her knees give out and sweat prickled her forehead. The Death Eaters watched her in silent disbelief. Harry could watch no more.

"_Expelliar_-" he began.

Voldemort reacted just as fast and turned his wand from Hermione and to him now, sending a blast that almost took his head off. Harry ducked behind a headstone and Hermione collapsed in the grass with a weak groan. She slowly made her way toward Cedric's body while Voldemort made an effort to catch Harry.

"Don't you turn your back on me, Harry Potter!" he shouted, like a thing possessed, "Face me so that I can see the life leave your eyes!"

Hermione groaned, still feeling the effects of the _Crucio_ spell lingering through her body and she made a dire effort to gather Cedric's body. She noticed the Portkey lying uselessly far ahead of her. She gave a defeated moan.

"Damn it!" she cried.

Harry unleashed a spell that send sparks of red flying through the air and Voldemort unleashed the Killing Curse that shot forward in a spray of green. Hermione made her way toward Harry with Cedric dragging behind her under one arm. Their faces were focused in tense concentration as each one attempted to overpower the other. Hermione winced against the bright light of their wands and she could hear the voice again.

"Forever lost ... Forever mine to judge ..."

She didn't care to wonder what he meant, but instead ignored it as strange white wisps began to flutter from the connection points of Harry and Voldemort's wands. They seemed to ripple and bend, taking the shape of human specters. Harry's eyes misted over when he noticed that two of them had once been his parents. Hermione noticed them as well, particularly Lily Potter; she was a very beautiful woman. She said something that Hermione couldn't hear that earned a weak nod from Harry.

At that precise moment, Harry broke away from Voldemort and raised his wand, circling his arm around Hermione in the process.

"_Accio_!" he shouted.

The Portkey flew toward him and in that instant, they disappeared.


	20. 20

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the part of the first chapter was borrowed from the first film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out. Keep in mind too that some lines may be used from the movie. This fic was heavily intended for that, but overall, most will be changed. I do not lay claim to them in any way.

_"The key to change... is to let go of fear."_

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Twenty**

_1995_

They returned to a celebration that slowly developed into a nightmare.

Everyone was going insane over the loss of Cedric and his father Amos was particularly grieving. Hermione stepped away and watched the terrible scene as it took Moody all of his energy to yank a screaming Harry from Cedric's body. She stood as still as a statue, her face a rigid mask of pain and despair; she barely even acknowledged Severus as he moved quickly behind her and grabbed her by her shoulders.

"What happened?" he demanded, turning her so that she faced him.

She moaned quietly, her voice shaking. "He's back, Severus..." she whispered, "He killed Cedric and..."

Snape's eyes darkened with mute disbelief. "Why did you run away?" he asked, his voice still hard.

She didn't answer and instead started crying. Snape's brow knotted. "We'll talk about it later," he said, his voice softening, "Right now, I have a rat to catch."

Instead of waiting for an answer, Hermione watched as he disappeared through the crowds. She stood there for a few moments in confusion and decided to follow to see just what it was that he was talking about. He led her to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and pushed open Moody's door to his office. She was stunned to see Harry being held at wand-point by the other wizard and Snape moved fast.

"_Expelliarmus_!" he shouted.

The wand flew from his hands and Moody grinned wickedly, a mad look that looked completely strange, even for him. Hermione felt Dumbledore moving behind her now and watched as the two older wizards literally swarmed over Moody; Snape grabbed his throat and forced his mouth open while pouring a strange substance down his throat. Moody choked and gurgled on it a few times while Snape smirked coldly.

"That's it, take it." he hissed.

Dumbledore glared down at Moody. "Do you know who I am?" he demanded.

"Albus Dumbledore." Moody growled, sucking his teeth sharply.

Harry moved to Hermione's side and she placed a protective arm around him. They backed up toward a large metal trunk.

"Are you Alastor Moody? Are you?" Dumbledore demanded again.

Moody grimaced. "No."

"Is he in this room? Is he in this room?"

Moody's eyes landed slowly on the trunk that Hermione and Harry were leaning against and both Dumbledore and Snape followed his gaze. They stared back at the two teachers in confusion and looked back at the trunk as well.

"Harry, Hermione, step away from the chest!" Dumbledore ordered.

They stepped aside as Snape cast a silent spell and the trunk slowly opened. They slowly peered down into it; it went deeper than anything Harry and Hermione had ever seen before. There was a shape at the very bottom - missing a leg.

"You all right, Alastor?" Dumbledore called.

The shape moaned weakly and it seemed to echo. "I'm sorry, Albus."

Hermione frowned. "That's Moody?" she said, "But if he's down there, then who's-?"

Snape grabbed Moody's vial on the desk and popped it open. He sniffed it briefly before looking at Dumbledore. "It's Polyjuice Potion." he told him.

Dumbledore smiled. "Now we know who's been stealing from your stores, Severus." He peered down at the real Moody in the trunk and waved at him. "We'll get you up in a minute, old friend! Don't you worry."

The false Moody snickered coldly and they watched as his body began to wither and pop like an old balloon and shrink into himself; the clothes were now entirely too big as the false Moody began to take a more slender and haggard appearance of Barty Crouch Junior. He had beady eyes and a wild, mad grin that suited his face rather than Moody's. He rolled up his sleeve and revealed the Dark Mark on his wrist.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours." he sneered, with a cruel grin. His eyes landed on Hermione. "And you...Wait until the voices slowly start to set in. Then..." He licked his lips and snickered wildly. "Then the fun begins!"

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed. "Send an owl to Azkaban. I think they'll find they're missing a prisoner."

"I'll be welcomed back like a hero!" Barty hissed.

Dumbledore shrugged. "Perhaps. Personally, I've never had much time for heroes."

O

"When did this happen?"

Snape sat in front of Hermione and she wriggled uncomfortably in her chair. "I don't know. It started this morning. The voice came to me while I was bathing and..." she told him, "It happened again while I was at the stadium. It warned me that someone was going to die, though I didn't know who. Strange thing is, it sounded like Belial, but his voice wasn't as frightening this time and I didn't feel that same icy chill as before."

Snape rubbed his chin; he looked exhausted. "I am truly getting fed up with this damn demon!" he muttered.

Hermione frowned. "How do you think I feel?" she snapped, "Now my eyes have changed colors. Who know what else might change?"

Snape's heart suddenly froze. She had a point.

"What am I going to do?" she mumbled, her voice filled with hopelessness, "I couldn't even save Cedric. I was weak."

Snape stood up and bent down to her, placing his arms around her waist and pulling her close. "I have an idea, though you have to be absolutely sure of it."

"Will it help?"

"It...might."

"Then I'm all ears."

Snape looked up at her. "Are you familiar with Legilimency?"

She nodded. "Yes. It's the act of magically navigating through the many layers of a person's mind and correctly interpreting one's findings as well. It's often considered to be 'mind-reading' but most practitioners disdain this term as naive and foolish. The opposite of Legilimency is Occlumency, which may be used to shield one's mind from the invasion and influence of a Legilimens. And then there's even -"

Snape sighed impatiently and nodded. "Yes, clearly you do. How foolish to ask."

"So do you plan on finding him through my mind?" she asked.

"If you are perfectly fine with having me in your head."

She giggled and gave him a look. "Severus, you were more in other places than just my mind. I hardly think that's anything to be concerned with." she reminded him, "I've always had you in my mind to begin with, so this is no different."

He growled at her and she saw his black eyes darken with a hidden, restrained lust. "Little witch..."

He straightened and raised his wand to her. She sucked in a breath and closed her eyes. "I'm ready."

Snape nodded his head and reluctantly, he cast the charm. "_LEGILIMENS_!" he bellowed.

O

Snape was standing in a white hallway.

He frowned and looked around; there were so many doors and most of them were listed by names. He glanced at one and noticed that it read "ANIMAGUS". Curious, he opened the door and noticed that it was a room filled with vines, flowers and plants of many kinds. There were haunting echo sounds of chirping birds and pouring water, the sound of a waterfall as far as he could tell. Snape frowned when he spotted a shape moving toward him.

It was a fox.

It looked just like Hermione's Animagus form and stopped to stare at him curiously.

"Hello," he said, though it was silly, "Are you Hermione?"

The fox's ears flickered a few times before its small body suddenly arched and a sickening ripping sound filled the air. It gave a low, warbling shriek that altered into a deep, horrible sound that resembled a monstrous dragon roar. Snape backed up in horror as the small fox's body disappeared and began to change and alter into a terrible monstrous version of it right before his eyes. Its small sharp teeth slipped out from its gums into deadly points as long as as a wand. Its red fur darkened to a blood red color and thickened like a werewolf, its paws transformed into large fingers with sharp, razor claws at the end. Its tail elongated and its eyes seemed to change into unholy yellow slits.

Snape quickly shut the door behind him and stayed there for a few moments, horrified by what he had just seen. Though it didn't help him much, he had to press forward. Hermione's mind was practically a maze though he figured at much. She was quite a complex woman and not so easily figured out as the rest. And even more so, her mind would be rather closed off to most people given what she had been through. But Merlin, even her mind was too properly organized, even for him.

He continued down the pale white hall. Several doors were labeled and marked differently, some standing out like sore thumbs around the white. Snape was getting nowhere, but he decided to check each one for signs of Belial.

He stopped at a door marked, "APRIL 16th, 1990". Frowning curiously, he opened it, wondering what could have happened to make this day specific for her to remember.

The door led to a place that looked exactly like Hermione's living room. Snape looked around curiously when he spotted a smaller Hermione run excitedly passed him. Though it was only an echo, he still couldn't resist a smile on his face.

"Mom! Dad!" she cried, happily.

Snape watched her father move across the kitchen, carrying a glowing cake in his arms. Snape couldn't resist an amused chuckle at Hermione's excited clapping. It was hard to believe that she had once been so young. So much had changed in such a short time.

But the happy moment didn't last when the flames on the candles suddenly shot high into the air like pillars of heat. Snape watched in shock as Hermione suddenly cried out in fright and her parents made a mad dash to put out the flames.

So that was how she'd learned about her magic. So powerful and yet so uncontrollable young ones were.

He stepped out of the memory and continued his trip.

"What would I be looking for anyway?" Snape wondered aloud.

O

So many doors passed him in his walk. He felt as if he was walking forever. Several of the doors held no real interest to him, but he checked them anyway to see if there was anything off that he should have noticed. The animagus room had bothered him a bit. It felt almost ... corrupted and the magic that radiated from it felt cold and dark, almost like the demon himself. Snape pursed his lips and continued forward.

He started to pass a particular door, but stopped and frowned at it. It was labeled, "SEVERUS SNAPE". Interested, he pushed it open and found himself in a dark room filled with hundreds of stars and floating objects. Snape studied the fluttering things with intrigue and reached out to try and touch one. It was a small fluttering piece of paper that unraveled itself at his touch and he saw a picture of himself and Hermione talking together at the cafe. She looked very happy. It was strange that he never noticed it before.

He couldn't resist his smile.

The objects were fluttering pieces of paper that moved with the grace of insects. It was fascinating the way that they passed all around him. He grabbed another and noticed that it was bright red and labeled. Curious, he unraveled it and his eyes widened. He immediately closed it and a small tinge of red touched his cheeks. The front of the paper had writing on it that he missed with the first one. It said, "MY FIRST TIME. IT WAS AMAZING. I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER IT."

Snape smiled brightly at that and he let the paper flutter away.

He decided to leave the room and then paused when he noticed a door at the far end of the hallway. It wasn't labeled, but it appeared to be snared in a sick, black substance. Cold fog was seeping through the cracks of the door.

This had to be it. Something like this didn't belong in Hermione's mind and Snape knew it. He approached the door and grabbed the handle. It felt ice cold. He turned it and stepped inside.

The room was a scene of horror itself.

The walls were covered in pulsing ooze that looked like flesh and blood itself. The floors were sticky and covered in just the same. There were strips of fleshy strands dangling down, surrounded by shards of metal and stone. Snape could faintly make out soft sobbing sounds, tormented moans and haunting whispers. There also seemed to be a dry, gurgled heaving all around him, like the sound of a sick man attached to an iron lung. As he progressed further, he noticed a shape at the center of the room. It was connected to the wall by various ropy strings sitting at a large, gnarled chair.

Belial.

He knew it was by the wispy smoke that ended at his feet, but overall, he couldn't entirely recognize him without his entire body ensnared in smoke. He was practically naked except for a black, tattered tunic around his waist and large bone - like stubs for wings spread behind his back. He looked absolutely sickly; his body was dangerously thin and his ribs stood out so far from his disgusting pale white body. Small flickers of red stretched all through his upper torso in a bizarre marking that was his own sigil. It glowed dimly. His arms were thin and bony and ended in dangerously long claws.

Belial's true face was the real horror. His head hung limply on a thin neck and that face ... The features were aged and wrinkled, but highly masculine and rigid. His mouth was slightly open and Snape could see long fangs poking barely out of his lips.

"Belial." he said.

The shape's eyes opened; they were golden and slit. _"You...have come at last, Severus..."_ he whispered, and it sounded like hundreds of dry leaves being crunched at once. He moved slightly in his chair. _"I wondered...how long it would take...for you to understand."_

"What could I understand from you?" Snape said, his voice hard.

_"What the world needs to understand,"_ Belial hissed,_ "All of you."_

"You really do pride yourself on confusing people, don't you?" Snape snapped, "You possessed Hermione - are still within her obviously-and made it your point to try and destroy all of us! What the hell is there to understand?"

Belial chuckled dryly. _"Yes. I confess myself...excited when I first encountered the girl. I never thought that I could have such an opportunity to make my presence known to the world again. Humans have forgotten us, Severus. So we will always remain in the shadows."_

"You're making no sense at all!" Snape shouted, "What do you want?"

Belial slowly and weakly stood up, flaring those golden eyes at him. _"Then listen carefully, pitiful human swine,"_ he snarled, _"The one called Voldemort. Your petty little toy to wickedness...I want his soul. I want him in hell to suffer forever."_

Snape furrowed his brow. "Why?" he asked suspiciously.

_"I tire of his arrogance. Even before all of this, I foresaw a human who would dare call himself a god among mortals. As I searched through hell itself, I captured sight of a human who could easily do the job for me."_

"Harry Potter?"

Belial snorted with contempt. _"Not that weakling. Hermione Granger."_

Snape frowned and let that simmer for a few moments. Then, his eyes hardened and he glared at the demon. "You knew."

A nod answered him.

"You knew that she'd go into that shop that day..." Snape continued, his glare intensifying, "You knew what she'd wish for. You knew what would happen and you knew that she would receive some of your powers. You knew that they would make her absorb a portion of your spirit the day that she was possessed."

Belial grinned broadly and spread his arms with delight. _"Yes. I could have made for quite the actor, couldn't I? That fool Voldemort despises the so-called Mudbloods and now he will eventually know to fear this one. His soul will suffer in hell more than any soul ever has. I would be the one to inflict such suffering."_

"Not if it means using Hermione to be your puppet!"

Belial smirked now. _"You want him dead, don't you?"_

Snape hesitated. He hated thinking that a supernatural entity knew of his wishes. "Of course I do..."

_"Then I will never leave,"_ Belial hissed, _"Once Voldemort is dead, all will come to know and fear the name of Belial as they once had!"_

"You're weak, though," Snape challenged, "Only a small part of you exists. Not enough to really be deemed a threat to anyone."

Belial huffed and the whole room seemed to breathe with him._ "That may be. But it is more than enough to set the message straight,"_ he continued, _"When Hermione's eyes had changed, Voldemort saw this in the graveyard. I felt his fear. His uncertainty..."_

Snape feared asking the next question. "So what will happen now?"

Belial smirked and slowly approached him, his steps fluid and silent. He raised two fingers to Snape's head. _"You go."_

And with that, he was shoved out of Hermione's mind.

O

"You saw him?"

Snape nodded his head gravely. "I did."

"What did he tell you?" Hermione demanded.

He sighed and gave her a helpless look. "He will never leave until Voldemort is destroyed," he said.

That made Hermione completely confused. "He wants Voldemort dead?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"He believes that Voldemort has overstepped his boundaries as a mortal-more or less anyway," Snape explained. He watched her eyes widen in shock. "And he wants you to be the one to kill him...apparently."

Hermione stood up. "WHAT?" she cried, "He wants me to be the one to kill Voldemort?"

"Yes..."

Hermione wavered a few times. "I-But I-I can't do that! It's Harry's destiny to defeat him not-"

Snape scowled angrily with frustration. "He doesn't care about that!"

"He's right. I don't."

Hermione stared at him with angry helplessness on her face. She had no idea what else to say; it seemed that Belial wasn't about to leave her mind. She barely felt him there, but even now, she knew that something was wrong.

"So he's not going to leave until I kill Voldemort?" she mumbled.

"Yes..."

She gritted her teeth. "I JUST CAN'T DO THAT!" she nearly screamed, "Killing may come naturally for the likes of him but it doesn't for me!"

"We'll have to talk about this with Dumbledore," Snape said, "We'll figure something out." He groaned and rolled his eyes. "Potter has the Dark Lord hissing in his ear, you have a Demon Lord..." He sighed. "What comes next? Weasley with a talking evil dog prince?"

For some reason, that actually made Hermione laugh. It was a pitiful sound that was mixed with agony.

O

Later that evening, everyone throughout the school was gathered in the Great Hall. Dumbledore started making his announcement.

"Today, we acknowledge a really terrible loss," he told them all, "Now, I think you have the right to know exactly how he died."

A few murmurs and thoughtful whispers filled the hall.

"You see Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort!"

That made the entire hall cringe and shiver with fright. Dumbledore waited for a moment before he continued and everyone listened with a new level of fear.

After the feast, Hermione tracked down Dumbledore in his office and he was just finishing his conversation with Harry when she entered.

"Ah, Miss Granger," he said, "Come in."

Hermione gave a weak smile at Harry. "Hey, are you okay?"

He nodded just as half-heartedly. She didn't blame him; Cedric's death weighed heavily on her heart as well. Dumbledore sensed this from the both of them and sighed with sympathy. He walked up and placed his hands on their shoulders.

"No one blames either one of you," he said, "It wasn't your fault. You did what you could. I'm just glad that you got out of there alive."

Hermione and Harry stared miserably at the floor.

"It would have been Cedric too if we'd just been stronger..." Hermione grumbled.

"That 'if' is what makes our hearts heavier," Dumbledore said, "Cedric would not have wanted his friends sitting here miserably like this."

Harry shook his head. "Sir..."

"No, no. Enough of that. I want you two to head to your proper rooms and gather your things together. Tomorrow the train leaves for your homes," he told them, "Let's not feel guilt for what has happened and let Cedric rest in peace."

Harry nodded and gave Dumbledore a respectful bow before leaving the room. Hermione watched him go before she turned to Dumbledore.

"Sir, Severus and I have come across Belial once again." she told him, "He's inside of my head."

Dumbledore turned to his desk. "Yes, I know."

"You do?"

Dumbledore began stirring his tea. "It was rather obvious when you claimed to hear a voice saying that someone would die," he told her, "Only demons and supernatural beings are capable of foreseeing the future that clearly."

Hermione sighed and shut her eyes. "He wants me to be the one to kill Voldemort."

Dumbledore paused in his stirring. Though his voice was calm, she could hear alarm there. "Really?"

"Yes. He says he will never leave unless I do. Belial wants to send a message to the mortal world; he wants Voldemort to fear the very things that he despises and thinks that he is above the rest. A Muggle - Born witch like me."

He turned to face her now. "Why?"

"We haven't been able to figure that out. Demons are really hard to read. One minute he's whispering lies in my ear, the next he wants to help us be rid of Voldemort."

"Has he made any other demands?"

"Not that I know of."

Then, she heard HIS voice again. "All will come to fear me as they once had. Even you, Albus Dumbledore."

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head rapidly. "His voice ... always in my head."

"Then you must do what Harry has been trying so hard to accomplish," Dumbledore told her gently, "Try to keep him out."

The voice filled her head and laughed with mirth. "I am not a mere petty toy like your fool, Voldemort. I am a Prince of Hell. I cannot be pushed away so easily."

Instead of listening, Hermione smiled weakly and nodded at him. "I'll try, sir."

O

A small green beetle scurried across Hermione's desk.

Suddenly, a glass jar came down upon it and it screeched, buzzing madly about. Hermione bent down and smiled at the creature trapped inside before slipping a lid over top of the jar. She chuckled almost darkly and leaned her head against her hand.

"Well, well, well...Rita Skeeter," she purred, "Payback at long last."

The beetle scurried about before stopping to look up at her. Hermione smiled coldly and began to unravel a scroll. She went down a list of names there and arched her brows in mock surprise before looking back down at the creature.

"Oh! It doesn't appear that your name's registered here," she said, "Now isn't that interesting..."

The beetle made several frantic movements in the jar.

"You know...Rita," Hermione continued, "There's nothing stopping me from reporting you for this. Nothing at all. Your sorry ass could rot away in Azkaban for all I care and your stupid little lies would disappear with you."

The beetle's antennae actually wilted with fright and it appeared to shiver.

Hermione smiled. "I'll keep my mouth shut about this if you stop writing that filth and leave my friends and myself alone. If you keep it up, I'll go straight to the Ministry about this." She leaned forward. "Do we have a deal?"

After a long and maddening pause, the beetle seemed to nod and when it did, its entire body nodded with it.

"Good." Hermione said, standing up, "But just to make perfectly sure that you don't forget it; I think it won't hurt to have Ron and Harry know as well in case you try and write anything about them again. How does that sound?"

The beetle went ballistic in the jar.

"Stop being such a baby," Hermione snapped, "You brought it on yourself."

O

Hermione was sitting alone in her small apartment, reading from a scroll and several books regarding the demon Belial. A copied text scroll from the Dead Sea scroll interested her because it simply described Belial in the flesh itself.

_But for corruption thou hast made Belial, an angel of hostility._

_All his dominions are in darkness, and his purpose is to bring about wickedness and guilt._

_All the spirits that are associated with him are but angels of destruction._

She could hear his voice again.

_"Trying to understand me, Hermione Granger?"_ he purred, _"No book can ever give you the irrefutable truth that you desire."_

"Shut up." she snapped, into the darkness.

She picked up a book of Demonology and began to read what kind of damages Belial had caused over the centuries. He sighed with pleasure and his voice filled her head like a thunderstorm of amusement and sadism.

_"Ahh Israel! Destroying that pitiful little hovel was the highlight of my life!"_ He paused briefly. _"Read the Ascension of Isaiah."_

Even though she hated taking orders from Belial, the idea did pique her curiosity.

_And Manasseh turned aside his heart to serve Beliar; for the angel of lawlessness, who is the ruler of this world, is Beliar, whose name is Matanbuchus._

She furrowed her brow thoughtfully and closed her eyes.

_"I answer to no master, Hermione. You will never have to either so long as you are with me,"_ the voice whispered, _"Let me have you and you could become stronger than any witch in the history of your kind ever could hope to be. I am the master of earth, the Carnal Lust of the human race."_

Just then, there was a small popping sound and Snape appeared in her living room, carrying hundreds of books in his arms. He surveyed his surroundings briefly before placing them down in front of her with a soft grunt.

"It was not easy getting these," he mumbled, "That book store owner is quite the penny pincher."

She didn't respond.

Snape furrowed his brow. "Hermione?"

She immediately snapped out of her thoughts with a small gasp and looked up at him apologetically. "Severus! Oh, I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to ignore you, I was just thinking, that's all. This bloody bastard's whispering in my head again."

He sighed and took a spot beside her. "Hermione, you must learn to ignore him."

"I try!" she insisted, glaring at him, "I try but still he talks!"

"You have to try harder."

She glared at him and her yellow eyes seemed to flash. "Asking me to try harder isn't helping either!"

Snape realized that he may have been entirely too frustrated with her and nodded his head reassuringly. "You're right, Hermione. I'm sorry."

She gave him a sad, frustrated look. "I just don't know what to do."

Snape placed his arms around her and pulled her close. She didn't fight him this time. He placed a tender kiss against her neck and he felt her shudder in his arms. She instinctively put her arms around his neck and moved to get comfortable in his lap. The movements caused her books to collapse onto the floor.

Snape met those yellow eyes and noticed pain there.

"You still love me?" she said.

His brow knotted. "Whoever said I stopped?"

Hermione lowered her head with a murmur of sadness. "I just thought you'd find me repulsive because I have this thing inside of me ... " she said.

"Repulsive?" Snape whispered, stunned. He grasped her chin and tilted her head to meet his eyes. "I would never once consider you to be repulsive, Hermione. No matter what changes, I will always love you."

She smiled faintly. "Really?"

He kissed her cheek. "Really."

Hermione could see only devotion and love there; an odd change to what he had once been before all of this happened. She relaxed in his arms and leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss against the side of his mouth. Snape turned his head to give her a more proper kiss. She responded with startling boldness and moved her tongue against his lip, seeking entry. Surprised by this, but in no real mood to argue, he slid his tongue up to meet hers with the grace of a serpent.

The kiss eventually started driving Hermione insane. She felt warmth pool into her abdomen and her stomach tighten with hunger. She climbed into his lap and grasped his face into her hands, pressing her lips deeper against his.

Snape murmured against her mouth and when she reached down the length of his chest to grasp him, he lost it.

The books had to be pushed off of the couch while they spent practically the rest of the evening in it entangled in their own clothes and limbs. Snape was a bit concerned because Hermione had been a bit more ... wild than she usually was. He made the biggest mistake of actually voicing this. It earned him a dangerously insulted yellow - eyed glare from the woman which made him shiver beneath it. He wasn't used to seeing her stare at him with such intensity before.

Hermione glared at him. "That's not something a woman wants to hear; how her performance failed to live up to any expectations!"

Snape shook his head, horrified. "That's not what I meant!"

"I know what you meant," she snapped, "I think you should leave."

She looked hurt by his observation and he reached out to touch her shoulders. "Hermione, I didn't mean to upset you," he said, "I was just...surprised is all."

She scowled now and her yellow eyes seemed to swirl with anger. "Just go!" she ordered.

He didn't argue any further and gathered his things. She remained on the couch and started to collect her books again.

"I'm sorry." he said, hoping that she wouldn't hold another grudge because of one simple mistake of words.

Much to his relief, she didn't look as angry this time, just disappointed more than anything. "I heard you the first time," she said, and her voice sounded weary now, "I have to get back to my research anyway."

Snape nodded with a weak smile. "Okay. Try and get some sleep."

"Whatever ... " she answered flatly.

O

Hermione awoke the next morning with severe chest pains. She called off of work because they started getting so bad, she had to lay down for a while before eventually calling a Muggle doctor to take a look at her.

"Well, everything seems to check out fine," the doctor said, smiling kindly.

Hermione was sitting half naked in the doctor's office wearing only those silly open gowns they made you wear. She didn't seem convinced that the chest pains were nothing given the severity of them, so she prodded the doctor.

"What do you think it is, doctor?" she asked.

The doctor shrugged her shoulders. "It's nothing physical," she told her, "You're the healthiest young woman I have ever seen. It may have to do with stress. Has anything been particularly troubling lately for you?"

Hermione couldn't very well tell her that she had a demon nestled in her body. Especially to a Muggle doctor. Instead, she explained how she was juggling work, stress with her family, her lover as well as her scholastic duties. The doctor seemed to smile and nod her head.

"Well there you go!" she told her, "Try and ease up on the work for a few days."

That was a laugh. Telling Hermione to ease up on her important things was like telling a fish to stop swimming in water. But maybe she could find some time to rest and relax. It might help a bit and she knew she had to apologize to Severus for snapping at him last night. But she only hoped that he realized what she was going through was just hell enough and having little things like what he mentioned come up didn't help either.

"Thank you, doctor," she said, "I'll do that."

After visiting the doctor, Hermione tracked down Severus at his house in Spinner's End and decided to buy him something to apologize and seal the deal. She thought he would like a nice bottle of Schnapps and after knocking at his front door with her present, she waited for what felt like forever. The door finally opened and Snape stood there. He looked a little surprised to see her at first and then it disappeared with mild irritation.

"What is is, Hermione?" he asked, "I just woke, so forgive my condition."

Condition? He was wearing the same black outfit that he almost always wore at school. She didn't dare mention it.

"I brought you something," she offered, handing him the bottle, "It's a gift."

He took it and studied the bottle with a raised brow. "A gift?"

Hermione shifted uncomfortably. "It's a 'I'm-sorry-I-was-a - bit-of-a - jerk-and-I-hope-you-forgive-me' gift."

Snape raised his brows before a smile lit his face. "If you join me for a drink, I may consider it."

It was a joke, but the good humor still made Hermione roll her eyes with a smirk. 'Typical Slytherin humor."

She stepped into the door, but froze when she realized that she was entering his domain. It wasn't something he just let anyone do.

Snape started to walk away, but paused when he noticed that Hermione wasn't following. He turned and shrugged his shoulders. "Coming?"

She quickly moved inside.

O 

They spent most of the time talking.

Snape asked her if Belial had been in her head at all lately since he had left her apartment and much to Hermione's surprise, he had been rather quiet almost all day and since she had gone to sleep. She hadn't even had any weird nightmares lately either.

"No. He's been quiet today." Hermione told him.

Snape murmured thoughtfully and took a drink. "I had a thought, Hermione; though feel free to disagree," he said, "If Belial is going to inhabit your body, I think it's time that he paid his dues, so to speak. Do you understand?"

Hermione shrugged. "No."

"If he is going to use you, why don't you use him?"

That was a rather devious idea that made her grin. "Ah. I see." She paused. "So what do you propose?"

O

"Severus, this is ridiculous."

Hermione and Snape were standing in a grass field far from public eyes. Snape was placing his robes into a pile onto the grass and he drew out his wand. Hermione furrowed her brow as he pointed it directly at her.

"We are going to duel one another, Hermione," he said, "Let us see just what you can do."

He shot out a spell before she could protest and her wand was out just as fast, deflecting the spell and sending it skyward. She glared at him and he smiled with a small shrug of his shoulders, daring her to retaliate.

"I am not going to attack you," she snapped.

"Try then," Snape challenged, "Show me what you can do."

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "I don't want to do this."

"Do you think anyone's going to give you a choice?" Snape asked, pacing in front of her, "Belial could take over whenever he desires, so you need to learn to be in control of your actions. This is to help you."

Hermione wasn't sure exactly how it was going to help whatsoever. What was she supposed to do anyway; talk to Belial? She had no idea how to do so. Would she want to? Reasoning with a demon was perhaps the most foolish thing she could do. She folded herself onto the grass and gave him a smile. He seemed to understand what she was doing and arched his brows. If she tried to talk with Belial, that would get interesting.

"Okay, Severus; I'm going to try." she told him.

She raised her wand and chanted a spell that she had learned from her books; it allowed for her to search her own mind. The sensation was strange and made her entire body feel almost numb, but when it ended, she found herself standing in the same room that Severus had been, facing Belial. She was stunned by his appearance, but instead of letting that be her main concern, she instead faced him with a cold look.

"You know why I'm here, Belial," she said, "You owe me for this."

Belial chuckled softly. _"You are bold to make demands of me after what you have taken,"_ he hissed, _"Why should I consider granting you anything? I could use you whenever I want. I could destroy you from the inside out."_

Hermione nodded her head and smirked. "You could, but then no one would be alive to help you get the fame you want," she pointed out, "There'd be no one to help spread the great word of Belial, the Godless, Belial the Ruler of the World. Belial the Strong."

Belial seemed to enjoy her words because he purred softly. _"I may consider granting your request if you were to...bow to me."_

"What?" Hermione looked stunned.

_"Bow before me. Commit yourself completely to my cause and my power will be yours at your bidding. Do to with as you please."_ He grinned, showing those long teeth. _"All it takes is just one little bow, my dear. Kneel before me and you can have whatever you want."_

"What will that prove?" Hermione demanded.

Belial's fingers touched her shoulders. _"That you will submit to me and only me. My power will become your source of life. The devotion of a human servant is what I strive to earn. A powerful witch like yourself would make for a fine emissary."_

But Hermione wasn't that foolish. She knew if she committed herself completely to him, that would give him a chance to fully take over. But if she didn't, then he would torment her forever and she wanted his voice gone. But she wasn't going to kneel before him. Never.

"I won't." she snarled.

Belial's golden eyes flashed and then, he grinned broadly as if he wanted that. _"Then I will make your life a living_ _hell."_


	21. 21

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the part of the first chapter was borrowed from the first film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out. Keep in mind too that some lines may be used from the movie. This fic was heavily intended for that, but overall, most will be changed. I do not lay claim to them in any way.

_"The key to change... is to let go of fear."_

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Twenty-One**

_1996_

Listening became difficult.

Hermione had difficulty sitting at the table surrounded by what remained of the Order of the Phoenix inside the House of Black. Her chest pains had even started becoming more frequent these days and she had to resort to taking a potion brewed by Severus to keep them down.

"Harry's incident with the Dementors will obviously be called to attention by the Ministry," Lupin said, with misery in his voice, "We all know that Harry would never intentionally break the rules without just cause."

Snape sighed skeptically. "Potter's actions are always called to question..."

Just then, the door to their right opened and Molly stepped inside with Harry at her side. Hermione grinned and jumped out of her seat, rushing over to throw her arms around the boy. Fred and George were behind them and they laughed as she literally hugged him too tight to breathe.

"Are you all right?" Hermione asked him, "We were talking about the Dementor attack and-you have to tell us everything!"

Fred laughed. "Let the man breathe, Hermione."

Hermione parted from Harry and sighed with frustration. "And the Ministry..." she groused, "It's ridiculous. It's unfair, that's what. You were merely protecting yourself and that little brat of a cousin. They can't expel you for that."

Harry sighed. "Apparently they can."

The two stepped out into the hallway where Ron was now.

"So, what is this place anyway?" Harry asked.

Ron smiled and answered for Hermione. "It's headquarters. Of the Order of the Phoenix." he told him, "Like a secret society." He gestured to a portrait on the wall that Harry decided to check out; it had images of a lot of familiar faces, including his parents. "Dumbledore formed it back when they fought You-Know-Who."

Harry turned and frowned at them. "Couldn't have put any of this in a letter, I suppose?" he said, rather harshly, "I've gone all summer without a scrap of news."

Ron and Hermione looked at one another before giving him apologetic grimaces.

"We wanted to write, mate. Really, we did." Ron insisted. "Only…"

Harry's glare intensified. "Only what?"

"Well, Hermione's had troubles of her own and Dumbledore told us not to say anything to you," Ron told him, "It's been a bit of a bad summer for all of us."

Harry looked startled. "Dumbledore said that?" he said. They nodded. "But why would he keep me in the dark? Maybe I could help. I'm the one who saw Voldemort return...the one who fought him, who saw Cedric Diggory get killed."

Hermione suddenly winced and began to cough. She cupped her mouth to avoid coughing on Ron and weakly grabbed a small vial in her pocket. Harry and Ron looked at her surprised by the hoarseness of the cough.

"How long's that been going on, Hermione?" Harry asked.

She winced and popped the cork off of the bottle. "All summer."

"And I guess Snape made that potion for you?" Ron guessed, disgusted.

Hermione chugged the entire bottle down and grimaced. "Yes and it tastes like bile!"

Harry walked up to her and she met his eyes. He studied the yellow swirls with very weak flecks of brown and noticed that they had indeed changed. They were no longer brown at all, but almost pure yellow. Her face was slightly more sickly than before as well and the veins seemed strained around her neck.

"I'm worried about you, Hermione," he said, "You haven't been yourself."

She shook her head. "Don't worry about me, Harry," she assured him with a smile, "You're the one with the issues right now." She gestured for Ron and Harry to go upstairs. "Now I have to get inside and finish with the meeting."

They did as she said and met Fred and George at the top of the stairs. They were holding something that looked suspiciously like an ear on a string.

"Do you wanna hear something a little more interesting?" the twins asked, at the same time.

O

The entire group began to argue with one another.

"If anyone has a right to know, it's Harry. If it wasn't for Harry, we wouldn't even know Voldemort was back." Molly pointed out.

Hermione frowned at her. "He's not a child, Molly."

"But he's not an adult either." Kingsley pointed out.

Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, let us agree to disagree then!" she snapped, "Harry has a right to know something that involves him!"

Mundungus sneered at her. "When we need the opinion of a demon's bitch, we'll gladly ask for it!"

"Enough!" Sirius snapped.

Overhead, Harry, Ron, Fred and George were listening in on the conversation with the use of the magical ear piece. Harry was surprised by the vehemence of the conversation and they strained to hear more of it.

"He's not James, Sirius." Lupin's voice said.

"Well, he's not your son."

"He's as good as. Who else has he got now?"

Harry frowned intensely at that. Why would they have to start arguing about this?

At the table, Snape sneered at Sirius' declaration. "How touchingly paternal, Black." he said, "Perhaps Potter will grow up to be a felon, just like his godfather."

Sirius glowered at him. "Now, you stay out of this, Snivellus."

That did it.

"SHUT UP!" Hermione shouted, glaring at them both.

The two arguing stared at her in surprise as she stood up from her chair.

"Look at you!" Hermione cried, "Bickering like little boys! When are you both going to grow up? Hasn't there been enough problems because of this silly feud already? Don't you agree that there are slightly more pressing matters at hand right now?"

"Hermione..." Sirius began.

"I have had enough with your fighting!" she continued, moving around the table to the two, "It's always one thing after another! We need to work together if we are ever going to end this! I want this childish fighting to stop here and now!"

Snape frowned. "Hermione, listen..."

Her eyes hardened. "NOW."

O

Hermione did the only thing that she could and that was wait outside of the Ministry's office the next morning for Harry to come out with Arthur. it took almost hours and she spent the time eating an ice cream cone. While she finished it, she winced in pain at a sharp twinge in her chest again. The cough came again and this time, she spat out small puddles of blood into her hand. Hermione stared down at them in shock and horror.

"Hermione?"

She whirled and wiped the blood on her black coat and smiled at Arthur and Moody standing there. Harry was also with him and he looked exceptionally relieved. She had to guess that the trial went well in his favor.

"Are you okay?" Arthur asked.

She nodded her head. "Fine. I'm fine!"

"Good. Then let's be off," Moody muttered, limping away with Arthur.

Hermione and Harry followed and Harry looked up at her worriedly. She responded to his look with a weak smile.

"I'm fine." she lied.

They eventually made their way to the train station where they boarded with Ron and the others. The trip was almost unbearable with Draco and his friends whispering things to the other students. Harry was especially on edge the entire time.

"Why wouldn't Dumbledore tell me anything?" he groused, looking at the other two.

Hermione sighed. "We told you, Harry," she said.

"No, you didn't!" Harry snapped, "No one told me ANYTHING!"

Hermione was getting impatient. The chest pains, headaches and now the constant shouts weren't really helping her right now.

"Harry, I have a splitting headache and your yelling isn't helping anything!" she said, particularly unkindly, "We'll figure this out when we get to it."

They arrived later that evening at Hogwarts where Neville greeted them, carrying a potted plant in his arms. He smiled cheerfully. Behind him was a carriage where Luna Lovegood was sitting, reading a magazine.

"Hi, guys," he said, "You're finally here."

While Ron started in on a conversation with Neville, Harry and Hermione both looked toward the carriage and their eyes slowly widened. There were a few steeds there, but they looked nothing like anything that they had ever seen before. They had thin, almost malnourished skeletal bodies with reptilian faces and folded leathery wings that resembled a bat's. They had white, glittering eyes that seemed to lack both expression and pupils.

Overall, they resembled horses.

Luna smiled at their dumbfounded stares. "You're not going mad. I can see them too," she told them, "You're just as sane as I am."

O

Luna continued to smile, most particularly at Hermione. "That's a lovely necklace you have there," she told the woman, gesturing to the necklace around her neck, "A gift, I assume?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, from Severus."

Luna nodded and raised her brows, still smiling that same dreamy smile. "Ah. The Potion's Master. Yes, he is rather charming..."

Hermione couldn't tell exactly what Luna was really getting at; the girl always seemed rather distant and in a dream-like state half of the time.

"He's a jerk..." Ron muttered.

"Sod off, Ronald." Hermione snapped back.

Lua's brows went up at the swear. "Hm. There appears to be a language barrier here somewhere..."

They arrived at the castle shortly afterwards where the new years received the attention to where they would be placed. Everyone ate their welcoming feast as usual until Dumbledore stepped up to his podium. He raised his hands for silence and the entire hall obliged.

"Good evening, children," he announced, "We will welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Professor Dolores Umbridge."

Hermione's eyes went toward the far end of the teacher's table. There was a small, almost puffy-looking woman sitting beside Snape. She was dressed in a pink sweater and skirt and seemed to be very pleased with the declaration. Snape however, looked less than enthused. He gave her a dirty look and clapped half-heartedly a few times. He looked out and noticed that Hermione was watching him. He rolled his eyes and she couldn't resist her giggle.

"She was at my hearing. She works for Fudge." Harry whispered to her.

"Severus looks thrilled..." Hermione murmured, nodding in acknowledgement.

Umbridge rose from her spot before Dumbledore could continue.

"Thank you, headmaster, for those kind words of welcome." she said. She walked up to the podium and smiled at the silent faces. "And how lovely to see all your bright happy faces smiling up at me. I'm sure we're all going to be very good friends."

Fred and George rolled their eyes.

"That's likely." they said together.

Umbridge continued. "The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. Although each headmaster has brought something new to this historic school progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged. Let us preserve what must be preserved perfect what can be perfected and prune practices that ought to be prohibited."

After she silenced herself, Dumbledore smiled though he seemed a little discouraged by the speech. "Thank you, Professor Umbridge. That really was most illuminating."

Hermione's eyes narrowed when Umbridge caught her stare. Instead of becoming displeased, Umbridge smiled sweetly at her and took a spot back at the teacher's table.

O

_"She is trouble, Hermione..."_

Hermione wasn't surprised that Belial's voice filled her head again as she prepared herself for bed. Being alone in her own room was definitely a blessing-no one was around to hear her talking to herself and this...thing.

For once, she didn't actually disagree with the demon.

"The Ministry is interfering at Hogwarts," Hermione said, "Don't you think I already know?"

_"Hm. They are becoming rather irritating for us. Their fear in this Dark Wizard is most unnatural. They should be fearing ME!"_

Hermione sighed and made a face. "No one fears someone who possesses the body of a human woman."

She peered into a mirror and Belial stared back at her with a smirk. _"Perhaps not right now. But when things begin to take root, they will soon know to fear my name!"_

"Take root?" Hermione asked, a little concerned.

Belial smiled._ "Open your shirt."_

She didn't really like that particular request.

_"Open your shirt."_

When he asked again, Hermione slowly and carefully undid the buttons of her robes. Pulling them away, she stared down at her bare chest and noticed an ugly, bruise forming there in an almost perfect circle. It was slightly above her breasts near her collarbone and she lightly ran a finger over it. A sharp jab of pain surged through her and she sucked in a breath, drawing her hand away. Belial watched her from the mirror with a hiss of pleasure.

"What's going on?" Hermione demanded, glaring at the image.

_"To put it quite simply; I am taking over,"_ he answered, _"The longer I am in your body, the more it will adapt to my presence."_

Hermione's eyes went wide in horror. She had been right after all.

"No..." she whispered, "No, that's not right! You can't!"

A cruel mocking laugh answered her.

O

Umbridge welcomed her class with a bright smile and a cheerful attitude.

"Good morning, children." she said. She turned to her chalkboard and began to write down onto it. "We will begin by first examining our Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations. O-W-Ls. More commonly known as OWLs." Umbridge raised her wand and her nonverbal magic slowly lifted several books into the air to which they began to pass themselves out to every student.

"Study hard and you will be rewarded. Fail to do so, and the consequences may be severe," she continued, with that same smile on her face, "Your previous instruction in this subject has been disturbingly uneven. But you'll be pleased to know, from now on you will be following a carefully structured, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic." When Harry slowly raised his hand, Umbridge turned to him. "Yes?"

"There's nothing in here about using defensive spells?" Harry asked, gesturing to the book.

Umbridge chuckled. "Using spells? Well, I can't imagine why you would need to use spells in my classroom."

Hermione frowned now. "We're not going to use magic?"

Umbridge seemed a bit annoyed that Hermione had spoken up, but instead, continued talking. "You'll be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way."

Hermione scowled. "What use is that? If we're attacked, it won't be risk-free."

Umbridge turned and her voice came out harder this time. "Students will raise their hands when they speak in my class."

_"It's happening already, Hermione."_ Belial crooned, _"Soon, you would be surprised that you will have to breathe with their permission."_

"It is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be sufficient to get you through your examinations which, after all, is what school is all about." Umbridge continued.

_"The bitch lies."_ Belial hissed.

Harry continued arguing with Umbridge while Hermione could still hear Belial's voice hissing in her head.

"And how's theory supposed to prepare us for what's out there?" he demanded.

"There is nothing out there, dear." Umbridge argued, "Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourself?"

_"Little scheming whore!"_ Belial snarled.

Harry rolled his eyes and pretended to think. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe Lord Voldemort."

This made the smile disappear from Umbridge's face. The class grew silent from Harry's declaration and looked at one another, mumbling in barely audible tones. Hermione's eyes moved to Umbridge as the woman attempted to restore her control.

"Now, let me make this quite plain. You have been told that a certain dark wizard is at large once again." she told the class, "This is a lie."

_"I would eat her lying tongue..."_ Belial spat.

Hermione stood up and glared at Umbridge. "It's no lie!" she argued, "I saw him as well! Harry fought him and he tortured me!"

Umbridge scowled at her. "Silence, Miss. Granger!"

"No!" Harry snapped, "I fought him!"

Umbridge turned. "Detention, Mr. Potter."

"So Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord?"

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident."

"It was murder. Voldemort killed him."

Umbridge whirled on him. "Enough!" she shouted. She composed herself with a weary smile. "See me later, Mr. Potter. My office."

Hermione looked stunned and glanced over at Harry. He sat down in his seat with a furious look on his face.

_"Hehe. Do you see, Hermione? Punished for speaking the truth..."_ Belial hissed, with glee.

O

Night descended on the castle.

Hermione paid Severus a visit as he prepared for bed.

"I don't think Belial likes her too much," she told the Potions Master. "All he did during most of the class was rant in my head."

Snape gathered his sleep robes with a grunt of disgust. "Well, there's ONE thing we have in common after all..." he muttered. "That woman is rather insufferable." He turned to apply more wood to his fireplace.

"Severus, I was wondering..."

He paused and looked at her. "Yes?"

"May I please stay with you tonight?"

His brows went up. "I don't see why not."

Hermione shook here head weakly. "It's just...I don't want to be alone tonight. I have this...feeling in my stomach that something could happen while I sleep. He may try to invade and I just want someone to be there with me."

Snape smiled and walked up, taking her face in his hands to look at her. "There's nothing to fear, Hermione." he told her, "I am here."

_"Oh, but he's wrong, Hermione..."_ Belial whispered.


	22. 22

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the part of the first chapter was borrowed from the first film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out. Keep in mind too that some lines may be used from the movie. This fic was heavily intended for that, but overall, most will be changed. I do not lay claim to them in any way.

_"The key to change... is to let go of fear."_

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Twenty-Two**

_1996_

The following day, Hermione struggled to get her schoolwork done and avoid Umbridge as much as possible; it seemed that whenever she was around the woman, Belial would start talking and his anger for whatever reason was enough to give her horrible headaches.

_"The whore is an apostate to his flawed cause!"_ Belial snarled, while she sat with Ron in the Gryffindor Common Room, _"Kill that damned bitch."_

Hermione blinked and ignored the voice and thankfully, Ron's voice stopped his words.

"I'm not asking you to write all of it," he pleaded, "Just a little is all."

It occurred to her that she hadn't been listening to what he was saying the entire time. "I've been busy studying for these stupid OWL exams myself, Ronald," she muttered in frustration, "I can help with the introduction to your paper, but that's all!"

Ron grinned at her. "Hermione, you're honestly the most wonderful person I've ever met."

She rolled her eyes with a mumble. "Yeah, if I'm so wonderful then why does-Harry!"

She cut herself off in mid-rant when she noticed the teenager walking up to them with a very tired expression on his face. He smiled weakly at them and took a spot between the two. He scratched his hand slightly and Hermione noticed it.

"What's wrong with your hand?" she asked.

"Nothing." he said, picking up a book, showing her his right hand.

"The other hand." Hermione chided, taking Harry's left arm without letting him argue.

It looked like it had stopped bleeding by now, but she could very clearly see a message that appeared to be cut into his skin that read, "I must not tell lies". She knotted her brow and looked at Harry with a stern frown.

"You've got to tell Dumbledore." she told him.

Harry shook his head. "No. Dumbledore's got enough on his mind right now." He sighed with a bitter sound. "I don't want to give Umbridge the satisfaction."

Ron snorted. "Bloody hell, Harry. The woman's torturing you."

Belial hissed in Hermione's ear; a horrible sound of wickedness. _"The woman will soon come to know what real torture is!"_

"If the parents knew about this..." Ron began.

Harry glared at him bitterly. "I haven't got any of those, have I, Ron?"

Hermione shook her head. "Harry, you've got to report this. It's perfectly simple..."

Harry sighed and looked at her. "No, it's not. Hermione, whatever this is, it's not simple." He closed the book with a brisk snort. "You don't understand."

He saw her yellow eyes seem to narrow and her voice became icy now. "Don't even think for one second that I don't know!" she hissed, "Don't you dare even make such an assumption, Harry!" She stood up and gestured to her head. "Do you think I like having this...thing in my head? Do you think I like waking up every morning wondering what else could go wrong with my life? Do you think I enjoy all the stares that I get from people? Do you?"

Ron held up a cautious hand. "He didn't mean it like that Hermione."

She snorted. "No. If you won't speak to that woman, then I will!"

She turned to go and Ron and Harry jumped up to stop her.

"Hermione, don't!" Harry insisted, "It's not worth it! You could be expelled!"

She whirled on them with a furious scowl. "I'd love to see her try!"

O

Belial was practically alive with mirth._ "YES, HERMIONE!"_ he snarled, with glee, _"There's no need to harm her. Just...scare her a little. Show her that we are not to be trifled with! Show her the woman who loses herself! Show her that no one trifles with the boy!"_

Hermione didn't care what Belial was thinking; the punishment that Harry was going through was completely ridiculous and not to speak out about it was just as crazy. No one had that kind of right to do such a thing.

She stopped in front of Umbridge's office and knocked on the door. Instead of waiting for an answer, she pushed it open.

Umbridge was sitting at her desk grading papers when she looked up at the sight of the woman standing there. Though she didn't seem entirely pleased with Hermione barging into her office without so much as a warning.

"Miss Granger, what are you doing-" she began.

Hermione's eyes narrowed furiously. "Why?" she demanded.

Umbridge smiled. "Why what?"

"Why did you put Harry through that torture?" Hermione spat, "What did he do to deserve it?"

Umbridge shook her head. "I don't believe that I have any reason to explain myself to you," she told the woman, "I am in charge and I will command respect and discipline from my students. No one will speak out loud in my classroom without my permission, especially liars."

Hermione leaned forward. "I saw him too! I was there with Harry when it happened! Are you calling me a liar as well?"

"I say that you were fed his lies as well." Umbridge continued with a smile, "How do any of us know that Voldemort is here? All we have as evidence is your words against ours."

Hermione groaned in frustration before giving her a deadly look. "So that automatically gives you the right to just do-"

"I don't have to listen to this!" Umbridge barked, standing up, "I could have you expelled from this school for daring to come to my office and think that you could talk to me in that way!"

"I came to tell you that you were wrong!"

"You have no right!"

"I had EVERY right!"

Umbridge glowered at her for a few moments before she smiled and sat back down in her seat. "Miss Granger, I think that it's only fair to tell you that the Ministry has taken careful consideration on what is to be done with you and your little...problem."

Hermione frowned, somewhat concerned now. "What do you mean?"

"I mean the demon," Umbridge continued, with a small chuckle, "Do you think that the Ministry is going to allow something like that to roam freely of its own accord?"

Belial laughed in Hermione's head, almost amused by her threat. _"That bitch thinks that we should be intimidated by simpering fools?"_

Hermione felt a sense of fear, but she did her best to keep her voice steady. "If you were really concerned about it, then why haven't you done something sooner?" she asked the other woman, "I'm sure that you've discussed what could be done with me a long time ago the day that I stepped into the courtroom." She scowled and arched a brow. "Or are you just trying to see how much further I dig my grave?"

"Get out of my office, now!" Umbridge suddenly commanded, with a glare, "I will not be accused of ill - play from a student!"

Something snapped.

The temperature in the air changed.

_"Little bitch!"_

Umbridge stood rigid as Hermione's eyes closed and Belial's voice emerged from her lips. It made her appear to be sleepwalking and her body stood lifelessly before her. It was almost terrifying as Hermione's body moved ever so slowly in a back and forth sway.

"Am I speaking to the demon?" Umbridge asked.

_"You speak to the Authority of this world, sow!"_ Belial hissed, through Hermione's lips.

Umbridge chuckled nervously. "I see. And what is your name, spirit?"

_"I am Belial, whore,"_ he snarled, _"You speak with arrogance, pride and lies. You have tempted forces beyond your comprehension!"_ Hermione's body moved forward with the grace of a puppet and her closed-eyed face leaned forward as well; the move was unsettling, _"I should eat your intestines out of your stomach while you watch!"_

Umbridge stood calmly, despite the shudder in her smaller form. "What do you really want with this woman, Belial?" she asked.

Hermione's brow knotted and she slowly pulled back. _"I desire the soul of the one you call Voldemort. I will feast upon it while he festers beneath the grave!"_

"Voldemort is dead!"

_"You know NOTHING you petulant, black-hearted swine!"_

Umbridge paused thoughtfully before she looked up at the demon-possessed woman with a curious look now. "If Voldemort is truly alive as you say he is; and you want him," she said, "If you were to have him, would you leave this girl and never return again?"

A dry chuckle emerged from him. _"Such presumption from one so weak and cowardly. I will leave when I decide that I want to leave!"_

She pricked her chin up defiantly. "What if we sent the girl away to rot in Azkaban for the rest of her days? What will you do then?"

Belial hissed at her and his words carried a threat that was no where near empty this time. _"Should anyone foolish enough try and tamper with my plans; they will suffer far worse than any fate that I have planned for Voldemort. Keep that in mind the next time you try to challenge me, human filth."_

Umbridge barely reacted when Hermione collapsed to the floor with a soft thud.

O

Hermione awoke the next morning surprised to see Severus lying beside her. It wasn't his presence that surprised her; she didn't even remember getting into bed with him. She rubbed the side of her head and winced at the pain there. There was also a defined bump.

"Oh. What in the hell?" she wondered.

Snape mumbled slightly and his eyes opened. He looked up at her with a sleepy smile. "Hermione; you're up rather early today. It's only..." He trailed off and glanced over at his clock. The hands were pointed at 3:33 AM. "Oh it's very early. Hermione, what are you even doing up right now?"

She looked at him with a confused look on her face. She seemed worried a bit as well. "I don't remember coming to bed last night."

Snape frowned. "But I saw you walk right up to me, kiss me goodnight and climb into bed."

Hermione's eyes darkened. "I...I don't remember doing any of that."

"What?"

She tried to recall what had happened after her encounter with Umbridge and she looked up at him. "I-I went to Umbridge's office late last night. We were talking and she was angry, I was angry...Then...nothing."

Snape looked concerned now by that. He moved in the bed so that he faced her completely. "Why did you go to Umbridge's office?"

"It doesn't matter!" Hermione said, with tense frustration in her voice, "Should we be worried about why I can't remember anything after that?"

Snape furrowed his brow and climbed out of bed. She noticed that he was wearing his black nightshirt. He paced in front of the fireplace for a few moments; Hermione could tell that he was in deep thought before he turned around and picked up his wand from a side table.

"Come here for a moment," he said.

Hermione climbed out of bed and approached without argue. Snape gently pushed her chin up to meet his gaze with one finger and he raised his wand, whispering a spell that she could barely even hear. The tip of his wand began to glow with red light. She watched his eyes curiously as they closed, wondering what he was doing.

Snape could see various images passing through his head; he literally saw everything that the woman had seen through her eyes from the time that she had sat around the fireplace with Harry and Ron to the time that she walked to Umbridge's office. He could also sense anger, frustration and even fear. He watched them both engage in conversation that seemed to turn rather heated until something strange happened through her vision. It darkened and he saw a flash of Belial's face before the eyes opened again and he could see that Hermione was on the floor. Umbridge was helping her stand and ordered that she return to her room. Snape could see that she was walking back down the corridors but something still seemed wrong; the corners of her vision was tinged with bits of red.

Snape watched as she walked down the corridors until passing through the Great Hall, ignoring the sounds of Filch and other Prefects before descending further into the basement floors. She seemed to approach a large portrait of fruit and raised her wand, tickling the pear painted there. It squirmed and giggled before turning into a knob. She opened it and stepped inside. No one was in the kitchen right now from what Snape could see; she was looking around to be certain.

Then, she began to eat some fruit from the coolers, some vegetables and some chicken. After a while, he watched as she turned and walked out of the kitchen to his room and curl into bed.

Snape pulled away and stared down at Hermione quizzically. "You left Umbridge's office, walked to the kitchen, ate a lot of food and then came to bed," he told her, "I can't imagine why you would even do such a thing, but-"

Hermione's eyes widened. "I didn't!" she insisted. Her voice carried a bit of helplessness now. "I mean...I don't THINK I did."

Snape looked concerned. "You honestly don't remember leaving?"

"No."

Snape sighed and shut his eyes tightly with pain before he opened them again and looked down at her. "Hermione, I saw his face."

"What?"

"Belial's face. It was there for a moment before things went dark."

Her eyes slowly widened in disbelief. She looked terrified now. "He controlled my actions?"

"It...would appear so."

Hermione tried to think about that, but the fact that Belial was now moving about freely within her and taking control of her action left her stunned to silence.

O

Hermione told Harry about what had happened.

They walked through the Forbidden Forest to talk about it alone; Hermione felt that Harry could properly understand given his situation with Voldemort. Harry was shocked more than anything because of what could have happened.

Their conversation was put on halt when they noticed Luna standing a few yards away-in her bare feet.

"Hello, Harry Potter," she greeted, not looking back at them, "Hermione Granger."

Harry and Hermione noticed the strange winged horses around her.

"Um, aren't your feet cold, Luna?" Hermione asked.

Luna smiled. "Bit." she said, "Unfortunately, all my shoes have mysteriously disappeared. I suspect Nargles are behind it."

Hermione and Harry glanced briefly at each other before they looked up at the creatures again. One of them made a soft, whinnying sound much like that of an actual horse, but it was more haunting in pitch. Its white eyes locked onto them, though it didn't seem entirely interested.

"What are they?" Harry asked.

"They're called Thestrals," Luna explained, reaching up to stroke the Thestral on its long face, "They're quite gentle, really, but people avoid them because they're a bit..."

"Different." Hermione finished.

Luna smiled and nodded.

There was a brief moment of silence before Harry looked curiously at the girl. "But why can't the others see them?" he asked, "Only Hermione and myself."

"They can only be seen by people who've seen death." Luna explained.

Harry and Hermione felt weak at that. It was just an unpleasant reminder of the incident with Cedric Diggory. Luna started to walk away and they followed her toward a small family of Thestrals; there was a smaller one-a baby attempting to walk forward. It made a chirping, curious sound as they approached and kept a reasonable distance.

"So you've known someone who's died, then?" Harry asked, looking at Luna.

She smiled and nodded. "My mum."

Hermione looked piteous. "I'm sorry."

Luna turned to the smaller Thestral. "She was quite an extraordinary witch, but she did like to experiment and one day, one of her spells went badly wrong. I was nine."

Harry grimaced. "Sorry about that."

Luna nodded. "Yes, it was rather horrible. I do feel very sad about it sometimes, but I've got Dad." She paused and reached into her satchel, removing a bright red apple. "We both believe you, by the way. That He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back, and you fought him and the Ministry and the Prophet are conspiring against you."

Harry sighed and shook his head. "Thanks. It seems that you and Hermione are about the only ones that do."

Luna smiled at that and tossed the apple to the baby Thestral. It sniffled the offering and chirped with disgust, looking up at the girl.

"I don't think that's true," Luna told the boy, "But I suppose that's how he wants you to feel."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if I were You-Know-Who, I'd want you to feel cut off from everyone else because if it's just you alone you're not as much of a threat." Luna reached into her satchel again and picked up a piece of raw meat to which she threw at the baby Thestral. It caught it in its mouth and hungrily gobbled it up.

"You have a point, Luna," Hermione said, impressed.

Luna turned to her now, searching her face for something. Then, she smiled and turned her attention back to the Thestrals. "I don't think the demon inside of you chose you specifically to kill You - Know - Who."

Hermione arched a brow. "Why do you figure that?"

"Demons are ancient creatures," Luna continued, casually marveling a small winged insect that fluttered passed her face, "They've lived for many years watching us. I think they get a bit lonely all by themselves."

Hermione laughed in disbelief. "I've read the books, Luna!" she snapped, "They're evil creatures!"

"Not necessarily," Luna said.

Hermione looked surprised. "What do you mean?"

"Selfish, perhaps," Luna continued, "Though not evil. Professor McGonagall told you his magic is dark. That's not completely true. A demon's magic is ancient and primordial; the symbols used then are considered to be signs of evil today. Like the Pentagram for instance."

Harry looked intrigued now. "What about it? It's used for evil purposes."

Luna chuckled. "It was once used by Muggle Christians as a sign to represent the Five Wounds of Jesus. It was used also by Wiccans and Pagans as a symbol of faith. The Pythagoreans called the pentagram the Hugieia which means 'health'; which was the Greek goddess of health, Hygieia, and saw in the pentagram a mathematical perfection."

Harry and Hermione looked stunned by this.

"How do you know all of this anyway?" Hermione asked, "The books I've read-"

Luna smiled at her. "I'm not saying they're wrong. I'm saying they may have been confused. Think about it; would you ever walk up to a demon and get to know them?"

Harry shook his head. "How do you even know anything about demons?"

Luna smiled at him now. "My dad spoke with one."

"What?" Harry and Hermione exclaimed.

"Yes. Baphomet I believe he was called."

"The Goat Demon?" Hermione said, still stunned.

Luna nodded. "He was very polite."

The two looked at each other again, stunned to silence.

"Then what do you suggest I do?" Hermione snapped, though she didn't intend to sound angry, "Just let him take over me?"

"Not at all," Luna replied, not deterred by her tone, "Demons only fight because humans fight them. It's their natural instincts to absorb any negativity. Maybe you can see exactly what he wants from you by simply asking."

O

The idea was ridiculous.

"She's mad, she is!" Hermione muttered to herself.

Though Luna did have a point. There had to be more than a reason as to why Belial particularly haunted her in general. Why did he spend every ounce of his strength to make absolutely certain that she would be the one cursed with his presence?

"Pardon me, professor, but what exactly are you insinuating?"

Hermione paused when she noticed professor McGonagall and Umbridge standing a bit of a ways away from her as well as a crowd of students who had come to see what was going on. The two teachers looked to be in the middle of an argument.

"I am merely requesting that when it comes to my students you conform to the prescribed disciplinary practices!" McGonagall said, attempting civility.

Umbridge smiled angrily. "So silly of me, but it sounds as if you're questioning my authority in my own classroom Minerva." She moved up a step to prove her point.

McGonagall scowled and moved up a step as well. "Not at all, Dolores," she snapped, "merely your medieval methods."

Umbridge chuckled darkly. "I am sorry, dear. But to question my practices is to question the Ministry and by extension, the minister himself." This made Hermione's eyes darken furiously; what a childish threat. Umbridge continued. "I am a tolerant woman but the one thing I will not stand for is disloyalty."

McGonagall sighed and took a step down, shaking her head with dismay. "Disloyalty."

Umbridge turned her attention to the watching students.

"Things at Hogwarts are far worse than I feared. Cornelius will want to take immediate action."

She disappeared into the Great Hall to take her meal and Hermione scowled after her. Fred and George stood behind the woman and raised their hands mockingly.

"Here's a curse for you, you old toad-may your tea and crumpets give you mouth warts." Fred sneered.


	23. 23

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the part of the first chapter was borrowed from the first film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out. Keep in mind too that some lines may be used from the movie. This fic was heavily intended for that, but overall, most will be changed. I do not lay claim to them in any way.

_"The key to change... is to let go of fear."_

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Twenty - Three**

_1996_

Dolores Jane Umbridge has been appointed to the post of Hogwarts High Inquisitor.

That was what the new Educational Decree stated as it hung on the wall. Hermione couldn't believe what she was seeing and needless to say, neither could the other students that crowded around Filch as he hung the dreaded framed decree up. Filch smirked at their stunned expressions before he staggered off with his ladder on his shoulder.

"This can't be happening." Hermione whispered.

"It is." Fred told her, with dismay.

"We have to do something about it." George added.

Outside in the courtyard, Umbridge was receiving pictures and interviews with Cornelius Fudge.

"Having already revolutionized the teaching of Defense Against the Dark Arts," he proclaimed, "Dolores Umbridge will, as high inquisitor, have powers to address the seriously falling standards at Hogwarts School."

"This is crazy," Lee Jordan snapped, "They can't do this."

Hermione shook her head. "They already have..."

Things only went bad as the day went by. Umbridge felt that it was necessary to check up on the way that the teachers performed their daily duties. She occasionally scanned the status and conditions of the students as well. Professor Trelawney was the first to receive her judgmental presence.

"Just one question, dear." Umbridge said, "You've been in this post how long, exactly?"

Trelawney looked stunned by that. "Um...well..." she began.

Umbridge smiled. "Could you please predict something for me?"

The students looked shocked by the request; a few of the Slytherins seemed to be amused by it though. Trelawney didn't exactly enjoy the question either.

"I'm sorry?" she stammered.

Umbridge raised her fingers in a gesture of "small". "One teensy little prophecy?" When Trelawney didn't reply - obviously too stunned-she sighed and began to scribble something down onto her clipboard. "Pity."

She turned to go and Trelawney raised her hands desperately.

"No, wait. Wait, no. I think I do see something!" she said, "Yes, I do. Something dark. You are in grave danger."

Umbridge didn't seem to be very swayed by that and simply smiled. "Lovely."

She left the room with Trelawney tense with anguish, knowing exactly what could come out of this.

Umbridge decided to visit Snape's classroom as well. She paced around the room with a smile on her face and Snape stood, tense with irritation. The students watched as Umbridge scanned the bottles of his potions before turning to him.

"You applied first for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, is that correct?" she asked.

"Yes." Snape said.

Umbridge raised a brow. "But you were unsuccessful?"

Snape rolled his eyes. "Obviously."

Ron hid a snicker in his hand. As soon as Umbridge left the room, Snape raised his papers and slapped Ron on the back of his head. Hermione winced at the gesture before chuckling and shaking her head; Severus was no doubt frustrated as she was.

While the class resumed their work on their potions, Hermione passed out the proper ingredients while she casually paused at Snape's desk to speak with him.

"Severus, you know this is wrong," she told him.

Snape sighed. "Of course I do."

"Can't you say something to Dumbledore about this?" Hermione asked.

He gave her a skeptical look. "Would that change anything? The Ministry as is their Minister have become utterly paranoid and it stands to reason that-Mister Longbottom! I certainly hope that the reason you have stopped working is because you are horribly injured and the pain is so severe that you have lost the ability to speak!"

Hermione looked over at Neville in the corner and noticed that he had stopped what he was doing to possibly eavesdrop on the conversation. He whimpered with fright and resumed his work. Hermione furrowed her brow and looked back at Snape.

"This woman is going to make things worse for us as the days go by, I see it!" she insisted.

Snape arched a brow. "Have you been a Seer the whole time and never told me?"

"This isn't a joke!"

O

Over time, more and more Educational Decrees began to appear over the doorway of the Great Hall. They practically crowded the entire walls around the doors to the point that Filch had to move them over to another wall nearby. He was placing a new one up that made Hermione go cold with dread. When he stepped away, he gave her a look and smirked in the process before stepping down from his ladder. It read:

**Student-Teacher relationships are hereby prohibited. The student caught in the offense will be expelled and the teacher sacked.**

Hermione knew for a fact that the rule was made specifically for her. No one else did anything like that as far as she knew. Umbridge specifically wanted to make everyone's lives a living hell, but after that argument that she had with her in her office, Hermione knew that she was as much as a target for her wrath as Harry was.

"Filch, please!" she begged, walking after him, "You can't put that up there! It's not fair!"

He shook his head. "Sorry. Lady's orders."

"But what about all the things that I've done for you?" Hermione demanded, "I've stood up for you on several accounts because I felt that it was the right thing to do. No one deserved the mess that you had to go through every waking hour. Now you're going to stab me in the back - And what about Severus?"

"Not my problem." Filch said, though he did sound a bit hesitant.

Hermione missed it; she was angry now. Very angry. She stopped and he continued forward. "Fine! Walk away with your tail between your legs, Squib!" she shouted, with fury in her voice, "Take your daily lashings from that cow if you want!"

Filch continued around the corner without so much as looking back. Hermione gritted her teeth with rage and turned, storming down the corridors. She bumped into Harry and Cho Chang in the process and frowned at them.

"What are you do doing?" she snapped.

Cho looked at her desperately. "It's Professor Trelawney." she said.

They followed Cho to the Viaduct Courtyard where they noticed that many were gathered. Trelawney was standing there, surrounded by her suitcases and bags, tears streaming down her face. Filch was standing there as well as Umbridge.

"Sixteen years I've lived and taught here. Hogwarts is my home." Trelawney sobbed, "You can't do this."

Umbridge smiled coldly. "Actually, I can."

McGonagall stepped up and moved to comfort Trelawney. Hermione was torn to do the very same. She walked up and placed her arms around the teacher. McGonagall stared at Hermione briefly before turning daggers toward Umbridge.

"Something you'd like to say?" Umbridge asked, smirking.

McGonagall glowered at her, her own voice shaking with restrained rage. "Oh, there are several things I would like to say." She patted Trelawney's head gently and attempted to soothe her. "It's alright, dear. It's ... "

She trailed off at the sight of Dumbledore stepping up to the scene. Everyone looked rather surprised to see him, and even more than most - Harry. Dumbledore walked up and looked sternly toward McGonagall.

"Professor McGonagall, might I ask you to escort Sybil back inside?" he said.

McGonagall nodded and she and Hermione ushered the woman away.

"Sybil, dear. This way." McGonagall told her.

Trelawney gripped Dumbledore's arm as she passed with a look of tearful relief. "Thank you." she whispered.

Dumbledore nodded with a warm smile before it disappeared and he turned his furious eyes toward Umbridge.

"Dumbledore, may I remind you that under the terms of Educational Decree Number 23, as enacted by the minister ... " Umbridge began.

"You have the right to dismiss my teachers," Dumbledore snapped, "You do not, however, have the authority to banish them from the grounds. That power remains with the headmaster."

Umbridge looked miffed by that. She erased the possibility for a potential explosion of anger before smiling coldly.

"For now."

O

"That foul, evil, old gargoyle." Hermione spat.

Trelawney, McGonagall and Hermione took the time to be alone in the teacher's lounge, away from Umbridge's sight. Trelawney had stopped crying by now and was drying her tears with the end of her robes.

"I'm sorry you had to see me in such a way..." she mumbled, sadly.

McGonagall shook her head. "Sybil, don't be foolish," she chided gently, "She had no right to do what she did."

Hermione nodded angrily. "We're not learning how to defend ourselves. We're not learning how to pass our OWLs. She's taking over the entire school!"

"Yes. But with the Ministry behind her, there isn't much we can do," McGonagall said.

Trelawney looked up at Hermione and patted her hand gently. "I saw the new Educational Decree that she put up," she told her, "I'm sorry that it came to that."

Hermione's throat went tight and she gritted her teeth at that. "I don't care if she puts up a decree stating that I have to wear my pants on my head! I will not abide by something so ridiculous, personal and insane!"

_"Hermione..."_

The sound of Belial's voice filling her head almost surprised her. She hadn't heard his voice for days and now all of a sudden it came again. She stared at the two teachers and gave them a respectful bow of her head before standing and walking out of the room. She walked a few paces away before whispering softly.

"Belial? You've been quiet for a long time."

_"I was in deep thought. Now keep walking until you reach the girl's bathroom."_

That request was odd, but Hermione indulged anyway. Belial was oddly quiet as she walked to the nearest girl's bathroom.

_"Make certain that no one is behind you or inside."_ he ordered, _"Lock the door and cast a Silencing Charm afterwards."_

Hermione did everything that he said; she peered underneath the stalls and around the corners to make certain that no other student was there. She poked her head outside of the bathroom to see if anyone was around before she removed her wand and cast a charm to silence the entire bathroom. She locked the door afterwards and turned.

"Okay, what do you want?" she asked.

At the mirror, Belial's visage appeared. It was still very strange seeing him without all the smoke. This time, he looked somewhat confused and it was a look that she never thought she'd see in the demon before.

_"The child in the forest..."_

Hermione frowned. "Luna? What about her?"

_"I did not like what she said about my kind."_

Hermione sighed impatiently. "You can't get angry at everyone for saying something that you may not agree with!"

Belial glared at her. _"I can when it involves me."_

"So what's the point in this then?" Hermione asked him, folding her arms across her chest.

_"The child's father has a book. The only one of its kind. It will speak the truth about the demon world. Ask her to let you have it."_

Hermione looked a little surprised. She relaxed her shoulders. "You want me to know about your kind?"

_"Yes."_

That was it. No witty retort. No sarcasm. No nothing. It was such a strong change from what he had been before that it should have concerned her. Belial wasn't being the proud, arrogant, conceited being that she had seen before. He looked frustrated right now.

"What is the name of this book?" she asked him.

_"It has no name."_

"Then how do I know what to ask for?"

_"Speak of that old fossil Baphomet. He will understand what you're talking about."_

Before she could ask any more, Belial's visage was gone.

O

Luna was surprised by the request.

"You wish to speak with my father?" she asked.

Hermione nodded. "I do. Come Christmas after I have dinner with my family." A smile lit her lips. "Actually, why don't you and your father join us for dinner? I was considering inviting Severus as well. My parents won't mind."

Luna looked surprised, as if this was the first time that she had ever been offered such a thing before. "I'll ask my father, but I'm sure he won't mind."

Hermione smiled. "Great!"

"Although do you mind me asking something else?" Luna asked.

"Of course."

"Why are you interested in my father all of a sudden?"

Hermione looked a bit guilty by the question, but Luna watched her calmly with that same dreamy smile that she was famous for. She didn't want to lie to her; that was far from what she wanted. Giving someone the wrong impression, especially one as kind as Luna was not what she had intended at all.

"Your father may have information that I need regarding the demons," she explained, "I need to talk to him about it and I thought it would be more suitable to do so on a holiday."

Luna nodded her head with a smile continuous. "Okay. I understand."

Hermione smiled in relief. "Good. I'll let my parents know then."

"It will be fun to be with friends," Luna said, smiling.

O

_Christmas_

Christmas arrived quicker than expected.

Everyone was quiet around the Granger table.

Xenophilius Lovegood and Luna were sitting and enjoying the turkey while Severus sat beside them with a very uncomfortable look. Hermione was smiling at her parents and grandmother as calmly as she could manage.

"Miss Granger, this turkey is delicious!" Xenophilius said, smiling at the uncomfortable mother.

"Thank you, Mister Lovegood," Hermione's mother said, "I would have made more had I known we'd have company."

Hermione's father looked particularly uncomfortable. He attempted to redirect elsewhere to his daughter. "Hermione. How's the new apartment?" he asked her.

She smiled. "Oh, it's great, dad. I've settled in well."

"Good. That's good to know." Her father turned daggers at Severus. "I assume you've been treating my daughter well?"

Snape smiled at that. "I've heard no complaints from her so far."

Hermione dropped her fork in shock and she looked over at her father; he was smart enough to know exactly what Severus was talking about and she could tell that it was getting under his skin based on the darkening of his eyes.

"What did you just say?" her father snarled.

Hermione shook her head with an embarrassed groan. "Tell me you did not just say that..." she mumbled, holding her head, "Please tell me you did not just say that."

Xenophilius and Luna continued to eat their food without a care in the world.

"Have you put your hands on my daughter?" Hermione's father hissed, standing.

Her mother and grandmother seemed thrilled by the knowledge. They patted Hermione's hand with a mismatched set of grins on their faces.

"It's serious! Good for you, dear!" her grandmother said.

Snape stood up and met her father's gaze with a smirk. He leaned forward and spoke his words rather rigidly. "She is now a grown woman, Mister Granger," he told the man, "I think she can speak for herself."

"You've deflowered my only daughter!"

Hermione groaned with embarrassment. "Daddy, please don't say deflower! It sounds horrible!"

Luna was smiling at the conversation going on between the two men. She looked at Hermione. "They seem to be getting along well." she said.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "How do you think so?"

"They're communicating."

The argument continued back and forth between the men, almost at the same time as each one of them attempted to speak over the other. The women were actually enjoying the argument and Hermione's grandmother was actually betting.

"Ten shillings says the skinny one can take him." she whispered.

"Mother, we are not gambling on their fight."

Snape glared at Hermione's father angrily. "You speak as if she is still a child!"

"She IS still a child to me!" her father spat. "And I still hold the utmost concern for her well - being! Especially when she has been defiled by a man who looks to have stepped out of a damned bloody coffin in a rock concert!"

He punched his fist at the table to emphasis his point and it landed in the bowl of mashed potatoes with a soft squish. The others around gasped quietly, but Snape smirked smugly at the man's move. Hermione's father stared down at his own fist buried in the bowl of mashed taters before he glared up at Snape and smeared his hand on his face and robes. Hermione's eyes grew wide in shock at the motion and she looked up at Snape.

"Severus, now don't..." she began.

Snape spat out some chunks of potatoes and calmly reached for a napkin to dab them off. He gave Hermione's mother a respectful nod. "The potatoes are lovely, Miss Granger," he told her, "I believe they are the best I ever had."

She smiled weakly. "Y-Yes, thank you, Mister Snape."

He gave Hermione's still-furious father a cold smile. "It wasn't the only thing in this house that I thoroughly enjoyed." he hissed.

That did it.

Hermione's father surged for him with a fierce yell and grabbed him by the throat. The weight caused the table to collapse and send food flying everywhere. Luna and Xenophilius backed up and watched as the two men rolled around on the floor, cursing and spitting while trying to overtake each other. Hermione angrily stood up and attempted to restore order before looking back at her guests with a helpless laugh.

"I assure you, this doesn't happen every day!" she told them.

Her mother attempted to pull the two men apart but her grandmother was laughing and clapping.

O

Hermione angrily stormed out into the garden before pausing and glaring back at the open door.

"Get outside, right now!" she ordered, "Both of you!"

After a moment's pause, both Snape and Hermione's father stepped outside, covered in the remains of Christmas dinner. Snape looked particularly calm while her father looked very uncomfortable. Hermione glared at the both of them.

"Why would you do embarrass me like this?" she demanded, "Luna and her father probably think we're all mad!"

Snape gave her a professional look. "You're clearly overreacting, Hermione." he told her.

"Overreacting?" she spat, narrowing her eyes, "I'm not the one who turned a perfectly good Christmas dinner into a mud-slinging battlefield!"

Her father sighed and wiped some pudding from his cheek. "Hermione, perhaps I was a bit out of line," he said, "My emotions got the better of me and I should have acted a little more mature about it." he sighed now and gave her a look. "But you're my daughter. The fact is, I don't think I'm ready to accept the fact that you've grown up so fast."

She sighed and relaxed, all anger draining now. "Daddy, I know..."

He looked at Snape with a sigh. "If you're what makes my daughter happy then..." He offered his hand to shake his. "I will step down."

Snape raised his brows before he eventually decided to shake his hand. Hermione smiled at the scene.

"Thank you." she said, "Life's too short to be fighting amongst friends."

Hermione's father looked at her with an uncomfortable smile. "Now I'll leave you two alone," he told them, wincing and stretching his legs, "Because I am fairly certain that I have creamed corn stuck in my knickers right now."

She laughed and patted his arm. "You deserve creamed corn in your knickers."

He just chuckled and walked back into the house. Xenophilius and Luna stepped out afterwards. Hermione gave them a very embarrassed look.

"Mister Lovegood, please forgive my father," she said, "He's always had a bit of a protective streak around me and I never would have thought he'd go this far."

Xenophilius chuckled with a broad grin. "Nonsense, Miss Granger!" he said, "It was rather fun! It was almost like watching two Exploding Snabberwitches fighting for dominance; rather exciting to see who would step up as the victor!"

Hermione winced slightly. "I...see."

Xenophilius looked at Luna. "Shall we be off then?"

"Actually father, I believe Hermione wanted to ask you for a favor." Luna said, smiling over at Hermione.

Xenophilius turned back to Hermione, interested. "Yes? What kind of favor?"

Hermione glanced briefly at Snape and he nodded his head. "I must go and clean up." he told her, "I will see you later."

She nodded and he Apparated with a soft popping sound. Hermione turned to Xenophilius now. "May we talk?"

O

Xenophilius, Luna and Hermione traveled to the Lovegood home.

Xenophilius gathered the requested book that she had asked for and Hermione was surprised by how large it was. It had no name, just as Belial had said, but it was decorated in what appeared to be ancient runes and markings.

"This book helped me to understand them," Xenophilius told her, "Maybe it can help you as well."

Hermione frowned. "Belial requested that I read it. Isn't that a bit strange?"

Xenophilius nodded. "Demons are unusual creatures, Hermione," he explained, "But it is like my daughter has said; they are not overall evil."

"But that makes no sense!" Hermione protested, "Belial has used me on several accounts and deceived me!"

"Perhaps he was trying to understand you," Xenophilius continued with a shrug; he gathered a cup of freshly brewed tea and handed it to the woman, "Baphomet has expressed his concern about the human realms, but he isn't out to destroy them. He would rather keep out of human affairs - more or less."

Hermione's brow knotted. She opened the large book with effort to the first page, taking great care not to rip the pages. There was an ancient scene depicting angels and demons in an all - out battle with one another. Each looked different, but she could clearly see Belial among the group because of the symbol written on his chest. The only thing that bothered Hermione was the fact that she couldn't read the text.

Xenophilius seemd to understand because he took a spot beside her and gestured to the pages.

"Baphomet explained to me that a war had broken out between his kind and the angels," he said, "It began when these creatures were tasked with acting as caretakers to the human realm. They were commanded by these angelic beings to care for humans souls in the afterlife and watch over them. The demons were once beautiful, once thought to be angels like their brothers. But they grew tired of being servants and believed that they should be worshiped the same way the angels were.

Their anger, bitterness and hatred soon corrupted their bodies. As centuries passed and generations of our kind flourished, humans soon grew to fear the presence of these 'monsters' and their appearance and so believed that they were demons; evil beings sent to harm them. The name stuck with their kind and they didn't have any objection to it. They refused to be 'pets' to humankind. A scant few of the demons - such as Baphomet, Malphas, and a few others believed that it was wrong to harm humans and thought that it was these 'weak creatures' who blessed them with their beliefs. They refused to take part in the fighting, but they became corrupted themselves because of the way that we had always viewed them."

Hermione looked stunned. "They were slaves."

Xenophilius nodded. "Yes."

Hermione was silent as she turned the pages slowly, observing the detailed images of each demon. There were so many.

"I want to speak with them."

Xenophilius looked stunned. "What?"


	24. 24

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the part of the first chapter was borrowed from the first film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out. Keep in mind too that some lines may be used from the movie. This fic was heavily intended for that, but overall, most will be changed. I do not lay claim to them in any way.

_"The key to change... is to let go of fear."_

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Twenty - Four**

_1996_

It was getting colder.

Hermione sat in a circle surrounded by candles. Xenophilius was just finishing up the final touches of the pentagram with a piece of red chalk. He immediately grabbed a bowl filled with a strange red substance that he placed all around the circle.

"What is that?" Hermione asked.

Xenophilius looked at her briefly. "Protection sand," he explained, "It's to prevent the 'bad ones' from harming you."

"Does it work?"

Xenophilius smiled, though he looked uncertain. "It's worked for me."

Hermione nodded and felt a little uneasy now. She waited until Xenophilius was done before staring down at the book.

_"This is a mistake, Hermione,"_ Belial hissed, _"My brothers will not be so willing to talk to you as I have been."_

Hermione ignored him and she reluctantly raised the tip of a knife to her palm. Wincing sharply with pain, she cut into her hand. Blood gushed from the fresh cut and she used it to pain symbols all around her. As soon as she finished, the flames from the candles suddenly changed color; they turned from a bright yellow to an icy - cold blue. Something screamed and Hermione thought it sounded suspiciously like a cat.

Then, she felt a cold unlike anything she had ever felt in her life. The air around her seemed to fill with a fine dark mist and surround her. She looked in front of her and noticed a tall shape appearing through the mist.

Her eyes slowly widened.

It had the shape of a man, but gnarled and covered with tattoos. He had long, sharp digits that resembled the talons of an owl and the very head of a crow. He wore a tunic around his waist and several pieces of jewelry in his feathered head. He also had the brightest blue eyes she had ever seen. The marking on his chest ... she knew exactly who it was. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse and loud, like that of a man with a sore throat. It became painful to listen to after a while.

_"Who are you?"_ he asked.

Hermione spoke timidly. "Hermione Granger, sir." she said, politely.

The demon seemed somewhat taken aback by her politeness, but it quickly vanished.

"May I ask your name, sir?" Hermione asked, though she already knew who it was.

_"I am Malphas, Lord of Wisdom and Strife."_ the demon told her, _"Why have you summoned me here?"_

Hermione maintained a certain calm and politeness. "Lord Malphas, I simply wanted to understand what's been going on."

Malphas frowned. He didn't seem very impressed by that fact, but he also didn't appear to be too insulted by the odd request either._ "I see."_

"I want to know what happened with your kind and the angels." Hermione said. Then, she realized that she may have sounded a little too demanding and added again, though in a much more softer voice. "Please?"

Malphas leaned his head back with a soft, rattling sigh. _"You attempt to be civil when you speak to us. That is most unusual."_

"Why?"

_"Humans look upon us with fear, disgust and uncertainty. You attempt to speak with respect though you are still afraid."_

Hermione wasn't sure why he pointed this out; he must have been reading her mind. "It seems...only right." she said.

Malphas' great brow furrowed, but he nodded. _"Very well. I will begin..."_

Hermione watched as he inhaled deeply, collecting the smoky air around him before speaking again.

_"Elohim-the most powerful magical deity in the universe-was filled with loneliness and despair for he had no one to share his magic with. So, He set forth and created the First Sphere of Magical Beings," he began, "They were the Authority. They were separated into two groups; one group was tasked with watching over the human realm later on and the other to protect the will of Elohim. Then, the Second Sphere of Magical Beings was created; some of those being Dragons, Griffins and the Great Circle Leviathan. They were charged with Preserving Nature and the Rule of the Earth._

_Then, the Third Sphere of Magical Beings was created and they were humans. Elohim was selective of who would share his magic for he feared that His children would destroy one another if they shared the same power. Every 10th child born would be blessed with the magic. He commanded it of us to watch over them to be certain they would never harm each other. It was our duty for them to stay in line and never raise themselves up over Him."_

Hermione had been listening the entire time, but she was curious now. "Where does Belial fit into this?"

_"Belial was a demon who catered to the wishes of the human race. He was one of the Four Princes. The First Four who birthed the creatures of the afterlife. If one could successfully summon one of these Four Princes, they were to be given one wish. Belial did this for a long time, but he became tired of such a task. Humans were becoming too demanding and arrogant for him to tolerate for another moment longer. When he was summoned, it was only for greedy intentions. Belial grew impatient waiting for someone with the purest of thought to which he could bless with his power. Soon, he lost his mind._

_Belial decided that he would never serve the humans without a price for them to pay. He began to terrorize the Northern Kingdoms. Because of his strength, Belial could not be defeated so easily. It took the combined strength of the Twelve Patriarchs - servants to Elohim's will-to destroy his physical body. Belial placed a curse on what remained of his corpse-his heart. It was cut into several small pieces to prevent his flesh from reforming. Though in his heart drew the power of the wish. He had cursed it so that anyone who wished upon the stone with greed in their hearts would lose what made them them. If a Muggle discovered the stone, they would lose their soul - become like a shambling corpse. If a wizard or witch wished upon it, their magic would be taken."_

Hermione's brow knotted. So Belial was angry with the humans.

_"Yes,"_ Malphas continued, _"My brother despised the humans for their greed and treachery. Because of his own hatred, he was granted the title the Lord of Lies, simply because of his cursing his own heart. To torment them for their misdoings."_ He sighed and it sounded like a soft croaking sound. _"My brother refuses to speak. A small part of him lives inside of you, yet he will not speak to me."_

Hermione wasn't sure why Belial was quiet, but she continued. "Then why am I haunted by him?" she asked.

Malphas didn't answer.

Hermione frowned now. "Why?" she asked again.

_"You were innocent, Hermione Granger. He did not corrupt you out of some form of hatred, evil desire or sick delights,"_ Malphas told her,_ "Belial wanted to hold onto you for as long as he could. You were the first light of hope he had ever witnessed in his life."_

"Then why have I changed?" Hermione demanded now, "Why is he using me like this?"

Malphas looked pained now. _"That I cannot answer for you. Perhaps my brother wants to see you adapt, to evolve. He wants that last innocent creature he's witnessed become more. I'm afraid I cannot speak for him as far as his intentions are concerned."_

Hermione groaned and held her head.

Suddenly, the flames around her seemed to increase and she looked up with a startled gasp of wonder as several more shapes began to appear around her; various other demonic entities. She recognized Baphomet among them. He had the head of a goat and his horns decorated with runes and jewelry. He had large wings and massive arms that ended in claws. Overall, he didn't seem as frightening as she had pictured. His eyes were dark red. When he spoke, it was deeper than anything she had ever heard.

_"Hermione Granger, what do you fear?"_ he asked.

She met the new demon's eyes with pain. "I'm going to change, aren't I?"

The demons nodded their heads slowly.

"Can anything be done to stop it?"

Baphomet looked truly saddened by this. _"I'm afraid not."_

She looked down at her chest and pulled her robes aside to see the now completely defined sigil of Belial marked into her skin. That was why she had coughed up blood. It was the reason why she had so many chest pains. Now that it seemed to have stopped...

Hermione looked up at him weakly. _"Lord Baphomet,"_ she said, _"I recall something that was written about you. You represented the Dark Arts. You were a symbol of darkness itself. Is it all true or is it a lie created by humans?_"

Baphomet sighed and it made his muscles in his chest flex. "I cannot tell you what is truth and what is lie, Hermione Granger. One man could whisper words to a crowd and consider his tone and vehemence, can make believers out of anyone. You must understand that."

She nodded with a sick look. She felt that she may have disrespected him in some way. "I'm sorry."

Baphomet's strange features seemed to pull up into a bare smile._ "Do not. You address us with respect. Such a rarity that is these days."_

Hermione was quiet for a long time, still feeling their eyes on her. "Everything I was taught about you..."

Another demon spoke. He looked to be the strangest of them all. He appeared to have three motionless faces; one was that of a bull, the other of a man and the third of a ram. His eyes were literally balls of flame and there was a creature perched on his shoulder. It looked like a bird, but it had a muscled, bare structure with horrible, deadly eyes. The sigil on his chest told Hermione that this was Balam, the Lord of Time.

_"Do not think so less of us, Hermione Granger,"_ Balam told her with a hiss in his voice, _"Not all of us are as kind as you think."_

Balam must have been one of those demons who felt less about humanity. Xenophilius had warned her about it. Perhaps Balam had seen the interaction and had become curious by it. Still, the way those fire eyes stared at her...She shuddered and tried to sound polite.

"Lord Balam, I am no threat to you." she said.

Balam's fiery eyes seemed to dim once, almost in an impression of narrowed eyes before he spoke again. _"Do not mock me, human."_ It wasn't a threat, but it was spoken so softly and rigidly, it may as well have been.

Baphomet looked to his brother with a small sigh. _"Do not frighten the child, Balam. She is innocent."_

Balam scoffed. _"No one is truly innocent."_

Baphomet murmured something that resembled a strange collection of words; an ancient language that Hermione had never heard of before that made Balam flinch and growl with frustration and disgust. Then, the demon turned to her.

_"Belial's intentions are unknown,"_ Baphomet continued, _"But know this; never break away from your innocence. Keep yourself, but keep him. I believe my brother has more in mind than simply making you a killer."_

Then, the candles dimmed before the room was cast to darkness. The mist was gone. The demons were gone as well.

O

The snow had fallen that morning.

Hermione returned to Hogwarts with this new information buried deep into her mind. Belial was quiet today and it almost became irritating for her. He wanted her to learn about his kind, but when she did, he just stayed quiet?

_What a baby._..she thought, with disgust.

There were more Educational Decrees up when she returned. The sight of them made her sick and angry. It was just a pleasant reminder of what it had come down to. She hated seeing them, especially the one about how she and Severus were not allowed to be seen intimately at the school.

**No music is to be played during study hours.**

**Broomsticks may not be flown on school grounds unless during authorized Quidditch practice.**

**Extracurricular activities are subject to review by the High Inquisitor.**

**All Weasley products will be banned immediately.**

**Any items deemed not of educational value are henceforth banned.**

**Wands to be confiscated from students casting recreational spells. All magical objects to be held by High Inquisitor until further notice.**

**Proper dress and decorum is to be maintained at all times.**

**Exploding bon-bons are no longer permitted to explode. Hand in immediately to Ministry disposal unit.**

The more she stared at them, the angrier she got. Instead, she walked down the corridors to find Harry waiting for her. He met her cold gaze with an equally solemn look. She sighed and stared out to the snow - covered hills.

"We've got to be able to defend ourselves," she said, "And if Umbridge refuses to teach us how, we need someone who will."

Harry nodded.

After they gathered Ron, Hermione led them into Hogsmeade where she stopped at a small pub and inn. Harry and Ron took a moment to observe the condition of Hog's Head with dismay. The windows were covered in filth so thick they could barely be seen through them.

"You want to use this place?" Ron said, grimacing in disgust.

Hermione smiled and nodded. "Yes. After all, who would suspect we'd meet here?"

The two had to agree with that.

They stepped into the inn and walked to a small dingy room filled with rough wooden tables and stubs of candles sitting on their surfaces. The concrete floors were just as filthy as the windows themselves, but among all of that, Hermione and the other two met with their fellow classmates, those who wanted nothing more than to see the end of this madness and learn to fight the Dark Lord with everything that they had.

"So, I'm fairly sure you know why we've all come here today," Hermione told them, "We need a teacher. A proper teacher. One who's had experience defending themselves against the Dark Arts."

Seamus frowned. "Why?" he said.

Hermione glared at him in disbelief. "Why?"

Ron scowled at Seamus. "Because You-Know-Who's back, you tosspot." he snapped.

"So he says." Seamus said, pointing to Harry.

"So Dumbledore says." Ron shot back.

"So Dumbledore says because he says." Seamus rolled his eyes at the exchange before he sighed and stared at the three with an impatient look. "The point is, where's the proof?" He paused and looked at Harry. "If Potter could tell us more about how Diggory got killed..."

Harry scowled now. "I'm not gonna talk about Cedric, so if that's why you're here, clear out now."

The group looked at each other and remained silent, but they seemed very uncertain about leaving. Hermione pulled Harry aside and attempted to try and calm him down, but he still didn't like the idea of what they were saying.

"Come on, Hermione. They're here because they think we're some kind of freaks," he muttered, "It's not fair that we-"

Luna suddenly piped up. "Is it true you can produce a Patronus Charm?"

Harry and Hermione looked over at her for a moment and Harry nodded slightly.

"Yes." he said.

Ron smiled at him. "I've seen it."

Seamus relaxed and even looked a little apologetic. "Blimey, Harry. I didn't know you could do that."

"And he killed a basilisk, with the sword in Dumbledore's office." Hermione added.

Ron smiled at the awed group. "Third year, he fought off about a hundred Dementors at once," he told them; he paused and looked at Hermione and Harry before he continued, "Last year, he really did fight off You - Know - Who in the flesh. Hermione was there. I believe them."

Harry shook his head. "Wait." he said, "Look, it all sounds great when you say it like that but the truth is, most of that was just luck. I didn't know what I was doing half the time. I nearly always had help with me."

Hermione chuckled. "He's just being modest."

Harry frowned now before looking at the group. "No, Hermione, I'm not." He took a deep breath. "Facing this stuff in real life is not like school. In school, if you make a mistake, you can just try again tomorrow. But out there when you're a second away from being murdered or watching a friend die right before your eyes ... "

"And that's exactly why we need your help," Luna told him, standing with a smile on her face.

O

After everyone signed their names on a piece of paper to participate in the formation of Dumbledore's Army, they struggled to find a suitable spot to practice. Hermione frustratingly chewed her nail as she threw out ideas.

"Right. First we need to find a place to practice where Umbridge won't find out," she said, "What about the Shrieking Shack?"

Harry shook his head. "No. It's too small."

"Forbidden Forest?"

Ron scoffed. "Not bloody likely."

Cho looked at Harry with mild concern. "Harry, what happens if Umbridge does find out?" she asked.

Hermione pulled her mouth from her nail with a rather exhilarated grin. "Who cares?" she said, "I mean, it's sort of exciting, isn't it, breaking the rules?"

Ron arched his brows. "I think that demon's making you lose your mind there, Hermione."

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "I don't care about that. I'm too jumpy about other things right now!"

Later that day, the group searched the entire castle for a practicing spot and eventually became too frustrated with the lack of their success. Eventually however, Neville came upon a bizarre door that appeared so suddenly, it almost startled him. He went to find the others and bring them to the room. They stepped inside and the door seemed to vanish behind them. The group spent the moment surveying the sights.

"You've done it, Neville. You found the Room of Requirement!" Hermione said, grinning.

"The what?" Ron said.

"It's also known as the Come and Go Room," Hermione explained, "The Room of Requirement only appears when a person has real need of it. And it's always equipped for the seeker's needs."

Ron frowned thoughtfully. "So say you really needed the toilet..."

Hermione grimaced in disgust. "Charming, Ronald. But, yes, that is the general idea."

Outside of the room, a new sign was being posted. It read:

**All Student Organizations, Societies, Teams, Groups, and Clubs are henceforth disbanded. An Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students. Permission to re-form may be sought from the High Inquisitor.**

Harry started his training of the group without a moment's hesitation.

Neville raised his wand. "_Expelliarmus_." Nothing happened. His wand gave a sick poofing sound and he sighed with dismay. "I'm hopeless."

Harry chuckled gently. "You're just flourishing your wand too much. Try it like this." He raised his own wand and moved it with a slow paced swish so that Neville had the basic idea of what to do. "_Expelliarmus_."

Neville smiled and nodded.

Harry turned to Hermione and she was practicing a different spell. He noticed that she was wearing black leather gloves. He raised his brows. "What's with he gloves, Hermione?" he asked.

She frowned and appeared to be uneasy about the question. "My hands are cold."

Harry didn't appear to believe her, but instead, he knotted his brow and returned attention to his class.

O

As the days went by, the D.A. continued to return to the Room of Requirement to practice. Things eventually returned to Umbridge and she began to suspect foul play. She posted a new announcement for the school. "Those wishing to join the Inquisitorial Squad for extra credit may sign up in the high inquisitor's office."

Of course, Draco Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle eagerly jumped at the chance.

While they searched for suspicious activity, Harry and the D.A. decided to practice the Stupefy spell and Hermione willingly offered to be the target dummy for the task given her improved skills that surpassed most of the others.

"Stunning is one of the most useful spells in your arsenal," Harry told the class.

Hermione smiled at an uneasy Nigel. "So come on, then, Nigel. Give it your best shot."

Nigel raised his wand, despite his uncertainty. "_Stupefy_!"

A blast sent Hermione reeling backwards off of her feet. She laughed and Nigel smiled with relief.

"Good. Not bad at all, Nigel. Well done." she said, clapping.

Ron stepped up next. He gave Hermione a cocky grin. "Don't worry. I'll go easy on you."

She smirked. "Thanks, Ronald."

He raised his wand and before he could cast his spell, Hermione cast hers first. She shouted out Stupefy and Ron was sent flying through the air with a yell. He landed several feet away with a loud groan and staggered to his feet. Everyone laughed at him and he shrugged, attempting to sound perfectly composed.

"I let her do that. It's good manners, isn't it? It was completely intentional." he lied.

Harry smiled. "So that's it for this lesson. Now, we're not gonna be meeting again for a while, so just keep practicing on your own as best you can. And well done, everyone. Great, great work."

Hermione patted his shoulder. "You make a great teacher, Harry."

His eyes fell on the gloves that she was still wearing and he didn't ask, but something still concerned him about it.

O

Hermione soaked herself in the bath for a long time, easing her tender joints. Then, she walked to the common room to get some more reading done. Cho eventually walked into the room and looked at her with a smile.

"Hermione, I wanted to thank you for what you pushed Harry to do," she said, "I've never seen the class so happy. I think it's put a good light on everything that's been going on around here. Thanks again. You're the best."

Hermione chuckled. "No, I'm not. I'm just helping."

Cho smiled and nodded and then, her brow furrowed and she leaned forward, noticing something odd about the woman. Hermione sensed that she had gotten closer and frowned over at her with a bemused look.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Your ear." Cho whispered, in a mystified voice.

Hermione reached up through her hair to touch her ear and see what Cho was so stunned about. Her eyes slowly widened and she jumped to her feet, jerking away from the girl with a very angry, cold hiss in her next words.

"Get out!" she ordered.

Cho watched her with pain. "You need to talk to Dumbledore about-"

Hermione glowered back at her with rage, her yellow eyes flaring. "I said, get out!" she shouted.

Cho wilted under her glare before she immediately bolted from the room. Hermione immediately ran to the bathroom and pulled her hair back. Her once flat ear had started to form a well-defined tip to it. Even through her gloves, she could feel it. She moaned with despair and shuddered.

"Belial?" she whispered.

His visage appeared in the mirror. He looked very angry.

_"We really need to talk."_ he snapped.

"Damn right we do!" Hermione cried, "What else is going to change? Am I going to turn into a damn demon's harlot?"

Belial curled his nose with disgust. _"No. Only enough will change. Inside and out."_ He watched her silently for a few moments and scoffed. _"You have two options here, Hermione; Either give in, or give up. It's only going to go away if you do."_

She shook her head with a scowl. "I'm not going to die."

He actually smiled now. _"Good girl."_

She stepped out of the bathroom and McGonagall was waiting outside for her. She looked pained and bothered by something.

"Professor?" Hermione said, "What's wrong?"

"Could you come with me, please?" McGonagall told her.

Hermione followed the professor without question and they walked down various corridors until they reached Snape's office. He was already there waiting and immediately, his gaze grew hard. He gestured to Hermione before she could ask what was wrong.

"Take off your gloves," he ordered.

She wavered under his hard look. "Severus, I-"

"Take them off!" he commanded, in a voice that he had used before they had gotten close.

Hermione looked at McGonagall for support and the teacher gave her a gentle, yet wary smile. "It's okay, Hermione," she said, "You can show us."

The woman trembled with pain and slowly pulled the gloves off of her hands. The restrained gasps and horrified looks on their faces made her close her eyes with a whimper. Snape looked like he was going to be sick and she was sure that McGonagall's hair turned a shade whiter.

"Hermione, why didn't you tell me?" Snape demanded.

She whined again and met his eyes. He looked furious, but he also looked frightened. Frightened for her sake.

"I-I couldn't," she stammered, "I didn't want to worry you!"

"Well I'm worried now!" he spat.

Hermione's long fingers no longer ended in flat nails. Instead, they stopped at long, dangerous - looking solid nails that appeared to have bandages wrapped around the edges. The skin of her hands was also cracked and blistered and her fingertips around the nails covered in fragments of dried blood. McGonagall gingerly took one of her hands to study in her own.

"When did this happen?" she asked.

"Sometime after Christmas," she told them, "My nails began to itch and fall off. The others grew in remarkably fast afterwards."

Snape still looked sick and angry. "What else has changed that you haven't told me about?" he demanded.

Hermione met their eyes and she choked back a small sound before bending over. She started to remove her boots and Snape's heart sank when he realized that the question he asked held more severity than he realized.

"Merlin's Beard, no..." he whispered.

Hermione removed her boot and slowly rolled her stockings down. She displayed her bare foot for the two teachers to see. The flesh there was also horribly cracked and blistered and her ankle appeared to have been bleeding at some point. The nails of her toes also ended in dangerously long claws and when they looked closer, they noticed that she had taped something down to her ankle. It was a long, clawed digit.

"Great Merlin..." McGonagall whispered, horrified.

Hermione looked at her with pain. "What do I do now?"

For the first time, the wisest teacher she had ever known had no answer.


	25. 25

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the part of the first chapter was borrowed from the first film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out. Keep in mind too that some lines may be used from the movie. This fic was heavily intended for that, but overall, most will be changed. I do not lay claim to them in any way.

_"The key to change... is to let go of fear."_

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Twenty-Five**

_1996_

The sky seemed darker today.

Hermione ignored the stares as she searched for Harry on the bottom floor with Ron tailing behind her. Ron mentioned that he would be heading to his next class and she had to hurry to get to him. Fortunately enough, she found Harry among the crowd.

"Harry. Harry." she panted, "Hagrid's back."

Harry looked stunned.

The three crept their way outside of the castle toward Hagrid's hut and they could make out the sounds of Umbridge's voice in the background. They poked their heads into the window to get a good look at what was going on. Umbridge was in the hut talking with Hagrid. He appeared to be exhausted and his face was slightly smeared with blood.

"I will say this one last time. I'm ordering you to tell me where you've been." Umbridge ordered the half-giant, "I will not ask again."

Hagrid smiled weakly. "I told you. I've been away for me health."

Umbridge frowned. "Your health?"

Hagrid nodded. "Yeah. Bit of fresh air, you know."

She scoffed sarcastically. "Oh, yes. As gamekeeper, fresh air must be difficult to come by." She paused and her eyes wandered around the hut briefly before she turned to the door. "If I were you, I would not get too used to being back here. Keep your things packed, actually."

When Umbridge stepped outside, the three watchers immediately ducked out of sight. When she was gone, they quickly walked into the hut to talk with their friend.

O

"Make it a powerful memory, the happiest you can remember," Harry told his class, "Allow it to fill you up. A full-bodied Patronus is the most difficult to produce but shield forms can also be equally useful against a variety of opponents."

All around him, the students were casting their Patronus charms with great skill. Some got the hang of it quicker than others. Hermione's patronus formed a fox form of her Animagus shape that danced around her. She giggled at the sight and Ron's formed a Jack Russel terrier that barked and rushed around, knocking Neville over in the process. Luna's Patronus-a hare-bounced through the air and she smiled at the sight of it. Harry patted her shoulder.

"Excellent, Luna." he told her.

Outside of the room, Umbridge was standing with Filch and the Inquisitorial Squad. She raised her wand with a dark look. "I'll make short work of this," she hissed, "_Bombarda Maxima_."

An explosion took out most of the wall and it was enough to startle the students. They whirled with startled sounds and noticed that Cho was being dragged by Draco. Hermione's eyes narrowed with venom at the sight and noticed that the word "SNEAK" was blistered across her forehead.

"Get them." Umbridge ordered.

The Inquisitorial Squad members gathered everyone up and Hermione tensed as Umbridge raised her wand in her face.

"You're not going anywhere, demon filth!" she hissed.

Cho was rubbing her forehead madly to hide the horrible jinx and Hermione smirked coldly at her. "I jinxed the parchment," she said, "Belial warned me; he had a feeling that one of us would go soft. It's insane of me to think so, but he was right."

Cho whined. "That's horrible!"

"It did the job nicely, I think!"

"Enough!" Umbridge spat, "I think it's time we take a little walk!"

After a while of chaos and accusations; Kingsley, John Dawlish, Dolores Umbridge and Cornelius Fudge stood in Dumbledore's office with Harry, Hermione and Ron behind them. Fudge was being filled in on the "truth" of what was going on in the school.

"Been watching them for weeks!" Umbridge told him, "And see, 'Dumbledore's Army' ... " She showed him the parchment with the list of names. "... proof of what I've been telling you right from the beginning, Cornelius." She glared up at Dumbledore who sat surprisingly calm in his seat. "All your fear - mongering about You - Know - Who never fooled us for a minute. We saw your lies for what they were: A smokescreen for your bid to seize control of the Ministry."

Dumbledore chuckled softly. "Naturally."

Harry shook his head. "No, professor!" He looked at the Ministry members. "He had nothing to do with it. It was me."

Dumbledore smiled at him. "Most noble of you, Harry, to shield me, but as has been pointed out the parchment clearly says 'Dumbledore's Army', not 'Potter's'." He gave Harry a brief look before turning attention to Fudge. "I instructed Harry to form this organization. And I, and I alone, am responsible for its activities."

Umbridge smiled with pride and Fudge looked at Umbridge. "Dispatch an owl to the Daily Prophet. If we hurry, we should still make the morning edition." He gestured to the others. "Dawlish, Shacklebolt, you will escort Dumbledore to Azkaban to await trial for conspiracy and sedition."

Dumbledore rose from his seat. "I thought we might hit this little snag. You seem to be laboring under the delusion that I'm going to..." He paused and pretended to think. "What was the phrase? Come quietly." They started to advance on him and he chuckled. "Well, I can tell you this: I have no intention of going to Azkaban."

Fudge scowled angrily. "Enough of this. Take him."

They started to advance, but Dumbledore's phoenix swooped out of nowhere and landed before him to which he clapped his hands and both Dumbledore and the creature vanished in a puff of flames. The others watched the scene in shock for a few moments before Kingsley chuckled in amazement.

"Well, you may not like him, minister but you can't deny Dumbledore has got style." he said.

Hermione watched the smoke where Dumbledore used to be. Belial's voice whispered to her, actually soothing for a change. She didn't bother to question why either.

_"Fear not, Hermione,"_ he said, _"It will end soon. I assure you."_

O

Hermione made a mad attempt to use the Talon - clipping charm to trim her long toenails and the digit that had grown in her ankle. She attempted the same thing with her hardened nails and when she finished, she put on her gloves again. She was relieved to see that the skin was no longer cracked or blistered and actually returned to its normal texture. After she was finished, she walked outside where Harry and Ron were waiting.

"Harry," she said, gently, "You did everything you could. No one could win against that old hag. Even Dumbledore didn't see this coming."

Ron nodded with agreement. "Harry, if it's anyone's fault, it's ours."

"Yeah, we talked you into it." Hermione agreed.

Hagrid poked his head out from behind a doorway and he beckoned to them. They frowned and decided to follow as he disappeared out into the forest.

"Any idea where he's taking us?" Ron asked.

Hermione frowned up at the half-giant. "Hagrid, why can't you just tell us?"

Just then, a dull rumbling sound filled the air and the three paused to look over and see a herd of centaurs galloping by, armed to the tooth with bows and arrows. They were shouting and cursing furiously before they disappeared over the hills.

"I've never seen the centaurs so riled up like this," Hagrid said, worriedly, "And they're dangerous when the times call for it; clearly they have. If the Ministry restricts their territory much more they'll have a full uprising to deal with." He sighed and stopped, turning around to face the three with a very uncomfortable look. "I'm sorry to be so mysterious, you three. I wouldn't be bothering you at all with it, but with Dumbledore gone I'll likely be getting the sack any day now. And I just couldn't leave without telling someone about him."

Something thumped heavily toward them and they backed up in shock as an enormous giant shape moved excitedly in their direction. It was a giant. Fortunately, there was a thick coil of rope holding him down.

"Grawpy. Down here, you great buffoon." Hagrid said, "Brought you some company." He turned to the others who still appeared to be shocked by the presence of the giant. "I couldn't just leave him, because...Well, because he's my brother. Well, half brother, really."

Ron couldn't form much of a sentence save for, "Blimey."

Hagrid chuckled. "He's completely harmless, just like I said. Little high-spirited, is all."

Grawp's eyes landed on Hermione and her own widened when he grinned brightly and reached for her. Belial uttered a growl of irritation.

_"Stupid verminous oaf!"_ he spat, _"He's going to-"_

He was cut off when Grawp snatched Hermione up from the ground with a yell. The others gasped in shock as the giant seemed to carry her about as if she were a small, shiny new toy. Hagrid scowled sternly up at him.

"Grawpy, that is not polite. We talked about this. You do not grab, do you?" he scolded. "That's your new friend, Hermione. Grawpy."

Hermione pointed a stern finger at the giant. "Grawp. Put me down. Now." she commanded.

Grawp stared at her, the smile disappearing. After a moment, he slowly placed Hermione down.

Hagrid smiled weakly. "See?" he said, "He just needs a firm hand, is all. He gets his own food too, so don't worry about that. It's company he'll be needing when I'm gone." He gave them a hopeful smile. "You will look after him, won't you? I'm the only family he's got."

"Don't worry, Hagrid," Harry assured him, "We will."

O

The next morning, Harry was in absolute distress. He told Ron and Hermione about his dream regarding Sirius and what was happening with him; he was being tormented by Voldemort because the Dark Lord was seeking out a Prophecy.

"Harry, are you sure?" Hermione asked.

"I saw it. It's just like with Mr. Weasley. It's the door I've been dreaming about." Harry told her, "I couldn't remember where I'd seen it before. Sirius said Voldemort was after something. Something he didn't have the last time, in the Department of Mysteries."

They were working their way up the stairs.

"Harry, please, just listen," Hermione insisted, "What if Voldemort meant for you to see this? What if he's only hurting Sirius because he's trying to get to you?"

Harry stared at her angrily. "What if he is? I'm supposed to just let him die? Hermione, he's the only family I've got left."

Ron shrugged. "What do we do?"

"We'll have to use the Floo Network." Hermione said.

"Umbridge has the chimneys under surveillance." Ron argued.

She smiled now. "Not all of them."

The trio continued forward and eventually gathered the rest of Dumbledore's Army. They were preparing floo powder in Hermione's room.

"Are you mental? We're going with you." Neville said.

Harry shook his head. "It's too dangerous."

Seamus laughed gently. "When are you going to get it into your head? We're in this together."

Harry smiled now. "That you are."

Before they could cast the powder though, Draco and his group of Inquisitorial Squad members emerged into the room with their wands at the ready. He chuckled coldly and the others followed suit. Hermione glowered at them with fury.

"Caught you!" Draco sneered.

Most of them were dragged to Umbridge's office where Harry was put into a chair. Umbridge faced him furiously.

"You were going to Dumbledore, weren't you?" she demanded.

"No." Harry said.

"Liar." she spat, striking him across the face.

Hermione flinched at the sound and looked up desperately when Snape stepped into the room. He met her gaze with a glimmer of apology before he resumed his hardened look at attention to Umbridge.

"You sent for me, headmistress?" he said.

She nodded. "Snape, yes. The time has come for answers, whether he wants to give them to me or not. Have you brought the Veritaserum?"

Snape sighed with dramatic sadness. "I'm afraid you've used up all my stores interrogating students. The last of it on Miss Chang. Unless you wish to poison him...And I assure you, I would have the greatest sympathy if you did. I cannot help you."

Snape turned and disappeared from the room. Umbridge sighed and clenched her teeth before she turned attention back to Harry.

"You give me no choice, Potter," she said, something changing in her voice, "As this is an issue of Ministry security you leave me with no alternative." She took a sharp breath and continued. "The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue."

Hermione looked stunned. "That's illegal!"

Umbridge placed the photo of Fudge that she had on her desk down. "What Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt him."

_"Do it, Hermione! Do it now lest the boy suffer!"_

Hermione groaned in defeat before she looked at Harry desperately. "Tell her, Harry!" she cried.

Umbridge had stopped raising her wand to Harry and frowned with interest. "Tell me what?" she asked.

Hermione licked her lips and put on a much more believable face. Harry stared at her quizzically, wondering what she was up to.

"Well, if you won't tell her where it is I will." Hermione said.

Umbridge scowled now. "Where what is?"

"Dumbledore's secret weapon."

O

They trudged through the forest with Umbridge's wand pointed at them. Hermione and Harry led the way and Harry looked to her for an explanation to which not even she had an answer for. Umbridge was getting impatient and quite frankly, so was Hermione. For reasons she wasn't sure of. Being around Umbridge made her feel ... disgusted and angry for no reason. Sure she hated the woman, but she felt a different kind of hate for her.

"How much further?" Umbridge snapped.

"Not far," Hermione told her, "It had to be somewhere students wouldn't find it accidentally."

Harry frowned at her. "What are you doing?" he whispered.

"Improvising." she whispered back.

They stopped in the place where Grawp had been and much to Hermione's horror, she noticed the giant was gone. In his place was a ripped piece of rope. Harry knew what she was thinking about and slowly, the two turned to face Umbridge, wondering what they were going to do now.

"Well? Where is this weapon?" Umbridge demanded. When they didn't answer, she smiled angrily. "There isn't one, is there? You were trying to trick me."

There was a sound and the three looked up, spotting the herd of centaurs. One of them was a tall, mighty black-haired centaur brandishing his bow. Harry recognized the centaur as Bane. Umbridge glared at them and gestured with her want, to which the creatures did not budge.

"You have no business here, centaur. This is a Ministry matter," she said, "Lower your weapons. I warn you, under the law, as creatures of near - human intelligence..."

Bane raised his bow and fired an arrow at her. She quickly formed a Protego spell around her before snarling angrily. "How dare you!" she shouted, "Filthy half-breed!"

Bane snarled at her. "HALF-BREED?" he thundered.

The centaurs started to swarm over the scene and Umbridge raised her wand. "_Incarcerous_!" she shouted.

A thick rope shot out of her wand and encircled one of the centaurs around the throat. Harry knew him by the name of Magorian after hearing Dumbledore address him at one point. With a pained cry, the creature fell and Hermione instantly went to his side, attempting to tear the rope from the gasping centaur's neck. His legs kicked and he gagged with agony.

"Please! Please stop it! Please!" she begged.

"ENOUGH!" Umbridge cried, ignoring the woman's pleas, "I WILL HAVE ORDER!"

Belial's voice hissed in Hermione's ear. "Now, Hermione," he snarled, "Do it! Give in! She will never show guilt for what she has done. She will always harm others for doing good. Finish her! Take her now!"

Hermione wanted to ignore him. It seemed that the more she tried, the more her anger and bitterness began to prevail. She wanted to fight the darker feelings slithering their way into her mind, but she felt so tired...

When she stood up, Umbridge seemed to notice a change in her eyes because fear shone in them now. "Stay back!" she commanded, "I mean it!"

Harry watched the glow of Hermione's yellow eyes grow much brighter. He backed away and needless to say, so did the centaurs. They seemed slightly concerned about what was going on and had their weapons trained to the new threat they obviously sensed. Harry sensed it too; he felt a cold sensation in the air around him that originated from the woman. He watched as she slowly removed her gloves, revealing the long, dangerous nails.

When she spoke, it was Belial's voice eerily mixed with her own. _"You want to see what a REAL monster is?"_ he snarled, through her lips.

Umbridge watched in mute horror as she changed into her Animagus form. Only this time, it was the most painful thing she had ever witnessed before in her life. Her words came out in a frightened gasp; it was the first time Harry had ever heard it.

"Oh God..." Umbridge whispered, horrified.

He had to close his eyes and before he knew it, something large barreled passed him and Umbridge was gone.

O

Umbridge awoke the next morning to the horrible smell first. She blinked dazedly and felt her joints ache in pain and struggled to focus on the world around her. Her bleary eyes barely noticed that she was hanging several feet in the air.

"What's...What's going on?" she wondered.

She could see large, jagged paws - roughly the size of her own body - moving below her. Umbridge looked up, craning her neck and noticed that she was being carried in the massive, jutting teeth of a creature that she had never seen before. It looked like a fox and had the obvious attributes of one, but its body had become completely corrupted in appearance; it had glowing yellow slit eyes and sharp teeth that jutted out from its closed mouth, wide flaring nostrils, large tipped ears and its paws almost resembled human hands. She could even see its tail whipping back and forth.

Her eyes widened with a scream.

This seemed to anger the creature because a fierce, beastly snarl ripped from its throat and it galloped forward, rushing through the trees with the human caught in its teeth. Umbridge spat out pine needles and attempted to avoid branches that slapped at her face and body. The wind whipped by as fast as a storm and she was carried until they reached an opening in the fields. She was dropped harshly to the ground and she made a mad dash to get to her feet and run, but the fox creature was not having it. It snarled and pinned her beneath one of its massive paws.

Umbridge groaned in agony and looked up desperately at the monster. The sick panting sounds it made, the horrible drooling and the heavy breathing reminded her of a dragon ...

"Let me go!" she commanded, trying to sound intimidating.

It didn't work.

_"Shut up!"_

Umbridge was stunned when it spoke. The voice was deep, gravely and sounded like gravel in an ice storm. She tried to wiggle out of its paw, but it pressed harder, stealing the air from her body with a small gasp of pain. The creature brought its face lower and she could see a near human manner in which it glowered down at her with loathing and disgust. Its lips pulled back, revealing those rows of sharp, dangerous teeth, Its hot breath smelled absolutely foul.

Trelawney had been correct in her prediction after all.

"Hermione!"

The fox creature's ears pricked up at the sound and it lifted its head with an irritated snort. Dumbledore and Snape were approaching the scene and at the sight, the creature placed one paw beside Umbridge's head.

Dumbledore seemed oddly calm, but Snape looked tormented by the sight of his beloved in such a condition.

"Belial, you cannot let this happen to her," Dumbledore said, "She is innocent." He took a few steps forward. "If you truly had some consideration for her well - being, then this is not the way to go about it at all."

Umbridge whined. "Albus! Please do something!" she begged, "Tell her I mean no harm!"

"Dolores, I think you pushed her to this point," Dumbledore said, sternly, "She just needs to calm down."

The fox snarled at him in response.

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed. "Hermione, I know you don't want to do this."

The fox creature's eyes narrowed down at the whimpering Umbridge and it snarled again. She flinched and moaned in fright.

"Hermione, I know what she's done," Dumbledore continued gently, "But you cannot walk down the same path of darkness. You can be above it. That's what makes us stronger!"

The fox stared down at the whimpering woman briefly before opening its mouth and letting out a bellowing roar. Finally, it seized her in its teeth again before tossing her through the air. She screamed and Dumbledore acted fast.

"_Arresto Momentum_!" he bellowed.

With a shriek, the fox creature turned and ran back into the forest, just as Dumbledore eased Umbridge's descent to the ground with his magic. Snape was attempting to give chase to the fox creature, but stopped when it moved entirely too fast for him to catch.

"Hermione, stop!" he cried, "Please wait!"

But she was gone.

Dumbledore looked at the Potion's master. "Severus, we will find her eventually," he said, "Right now, Dolores requires medical attention."

O

It started raining.

Dumbledore and Snape continued to search for Hermione that night, but they were coming up with virtually nothing. Fortunately, Dumbledore was approached by Magorian and the centaur reluctantly pointed out where he had seen the creature run off to; on the other side of the lagoon.

"The one you call Hermione," he said, "The fox creature. It fled that way toward the caves."

Dumbledore smiled. "Thank you, great Magorian."

The centaur nodded once at the respectful tone before turning and galloping away. Dumbledore and Snape continued their trek through the muddy earth and rain until they worked their way around the lagoon. For the most part, they were quiet during their walk.

"Albus, this can't go on," Snape told him, "Belial is making things so much more worse than before."

Dumbledore sighed gently. "I don't think this one was all Belial, Severus."

Snape didn't respond, but they stopped in front of the mouth of a large cave and they could see a large, muddy, furry shape sitting inside. Dumbledore took a cautious step forward and when he did, the shape seemed to curl in on itself with a haunting moan.

"Hermione?" Dumbledore said, softly.

Another moan. _"Go away..."_ it groaned.

"No," Dumbledore told it, "You cannot run from this. Let us help you."

The fox creature rolled and straightened, rising up on its haunches. Its thick fur covered most of its eyes. It rasped out its own words with bitterness. _"You... You can't even help yourselves!"_ it growled, in a weak tone.

Snape looked sidelong at Dumbledore and noticed the older wizard still remained impassive. His voice came out rigid however.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

The fox let out a weary sound and didn't answer his question. _"Let me be, please..."_ it groaned.

Snape stepped forward. "Hermione, you can't let him win."

It glared down at him, yellow eyes piercing his depths. _"He already has. What difference does it make?"_

"So you're just giving up?" Snape spat, horrified by her defeated voice, "That's it then?"

Those eyes narrowed. _"Don't contradict me, Severus,"_ it snarled.

"No one is contradicting you," Dumbledore argued gently, "Hermione, please. Don't let Belial take control over you. Please. Harry needs you; we all do. You have no idea what important part you play in all of this."

The fox creature bared its teeth for a long moment before the anger disappeared from its face and its ears flattened against its head. It dropped to its face with a soft moan before its body seemed to disappear below and replace with the shivering form of Hermione. Snape immediately went to her side and placed his cloak around her to shield her from the rain.

"Let's go..." he said, softly.

O

Hermione leaned against the edge of the bath with Snape gently massaging her back. She was quiet and swirled a long, clawed nail in a puddle, watching her distorted reflection. The feeling of his hands on her was relaxing in its own right, but she couldn't feel anything right now. Not after what had happened.

"Hermione, does that feel better?" he asked, referring to her sore back.

She nodded. "Yes. Thank you Severus."

Snape attempted to cheer her up. "I know it was particularly frightening on your part, but I have to admit that your performance on Dolores was rather amusing," he told her, a smile lighting his features, "If I do say so myself. Any further and you would have had her quivering like a child." His smile disappeared when he noticed that she did not share his amusement. She was still watching the puddle with unbroken attention. That was different. "Hermione?"

She chuckled softly and raised a single brow, glancing back at him. "Let's be honest here, Severus, I am frightening," she told him, "Even though I've become older, stronger stronger, smarter than they are, I've got this dark force inside of me that will never leave until I commit myself to do this task." She sighed and pressed her face down into the cold floor. "It's horrible..."

Snape couldn't say anything to disagree. She was right.

"I'm sorry. I can't say anything to make it better, I know." he said, sadly.

Hermione's brow knotted and she turned. "Nonsense, Severus," she chided gently, "Just you being here is good for me."

Snape smiled though he still seemed very upset.

"What happened anyway?" he asked, "How were you able to change into that creature?"

She furrowed her brow and tried to recollect what had happened before that. "I'm not sure," she said, "I remember being very angry about what Umbridge was doing and when I started to let go ... it became so much easier."

Snape looked concerned by this. "Let go? You just gave in?"

"Yes..." she said, shamefully.

Snape shook his head in disbelief. "Why? Isn't that exactly what he wants?"

Her brow furrowed. "I don't think that's what's going on here, Severus," she told him, "When I would fight him, he would hurt me. When I simply gave in, I still maintained control in some form. I wasn't hurt or abused."

"What about when you had changed?"

She laughed bitterly. "I was angry, that's all. Very angry to the point that I couldn't see straight. But I was in full control. I felt it."

Full control. Now that he thought about it, he didn't see the demon in those eyes but Hermione. Her anger, pain and frustration all present there. But the idea that Belial had given her full control was absurd in itself.

"But why would he do that?" he snapped.

Hermione didn't answer. She honestly didn't know completely besides what she was already told.

Belial's voice hissed in her ears. _"You whisper his name like a harlot begging to the Gods above, but your lips do not grant me the same privilege?"_ he spat, _"Will you utter it the same way when he turns and sticks a knife in your back?"_

Hermione didn't know what that meant and she didn't want to ask. Not when Snape's arms moved around her waist and pulled her close. After everything that had happened, it was more than a relief to feel him inside of her and hearing his assuring words of how much he would always love her, no matter what.

O

She left the following morning.

Snape attempted to stop her, but she would not have it. She wanted to spend the next year at Hogwarts away from the school. After what had happened, everyone was up in arms about her transformation. She was even questioned by Cornelius and the Ministry.

"Hermione Granger, how can we be sure that you have this under control?" Fudge snapped, "You deliberately attacked Dolores Umbridge, a-"

Hermione zeroed in on his face with a dark look. "You will forgive me for saying that the horrible cow deserved it!" She sighed and shook her head. "But you don't need to worry about me. I won't be coming back to Hogwarts for the next year."

Snape looked at her with shock. "Hermione!"

She smiled sadly up at him. "I've been advancing beyond my years to begin with. I can simply return once this mess is done with."

"No!" Snape spat, shaking his head. "No, no, no! This is wrong! You cannot do this!"

Fudge seemed particularly pleased with this though. "Very well," he told the woman, "It would be for the best."

Hermione turned to Snape. His features were rigid and he clenched his hands into fists. "This is wrong and you know it!" he spat.

"It's for the best." Hermione argued, gently.

"For who?" Snape barked, ignoring the stares from the other students as they made an attempt to pile passed him and onto the train. "For them?"

"For all of us."

Snape shook his head again with a snarl and she leaned forward, placing a chaste kiss against his lips before she turned and shot Fudge a particularly unfriendly look before she climbed onto the train. She gave Snape a final passing look before taking her seat.

It was harder than she thought, but it was for the best.

Right?

Belial's voice sneered a warning. _"The barrier between us is wearing thinner and thinner, Hermione,"_ he told her, _"Behind every turn there is a shallow crack waiting for me to seep them, I would never hurt you."_

Hermione's brows knotted. Belial seemed to be trying to warn her about something. But what? He continued to talk as if someone was going to hurt her in the end.

She was concerned that it was someone she knew.


	26. 26

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the part of the first chapter was borrowed from the first film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out. Keep in mind too that some lines may be used from the movie. This fic was heavily intended for that, but overall, most will be changed. I do not lay claim to them in any way.

_"The key to change... is to let go of fear."_

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Twenty-Six**

_1997_

Months went by and Hermione rarely saw Severus in those passing months. She began to wonder just what was going on with him and Hogwarts. She occasionally received owl messages from Ron and Harry and so far, everything was going pretty good save for a few incidents that she wanted to help them with; they mentioned an Opal necklace that had cursed Katie Bell and how Harry suspected that Draco was behind it.

Hermione wasn't too sure, but Draco had been blamed before. She decided to send them her owl with her own message.

_Dear Harry,_

_I have heard this before. Do you remember the Chamber of Secrets and how you swore that Draco was the heir?_

_The boy is absolutely twisted in his own right, but he's not out to kill anyone._

_Please tell me Ronald is staying out of trouble._

_-Hermione Granger_

She sent Magdalene out and waited for the owl to return a few hours later. When the owl returned, she was carrying a new letter in her shining claws.

_Dear Hermione,_

_It's different now. There's been an incident with Draco spying on Slughorn's Christmas party._

_When I tried to talk to him, he attempted to curse me. I hit him back, but I don't think I'll be using the spell anymore._

_It's horrible here. I wish you were here with us._

_-Harry Potter._

_P.S. Ron's been sick from chocolate again. I told him not to eat too much, but he didn't listen._

Hermione laughed at the P.S. statement made. But then, she began to grow concerned about what spell Harry had used and what else he was not explaining to her in his letter. She started to write a new one to send out when there was a loud tapping at her window. She looked up and noticed that Gideon was perched on the windowsill, carrying a letter in his claws. She blinked in surprise and opened the window to let the larger owl inside.

"Gideon, what are you doing here?" she asked.

The owl made a bored sound and deposited the letter into her hands. Hermione frowned and opened it up.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I hope you can forgive the silence on my part, though I would not deserve it._

_Things have come and gone so rapidly these passed few months and I have been named_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. At long last! That in itself is a task._

_I hope you are doing well. Please write back to me. I miss you._

_-Yours Truly,_

_Severus Snape_

Hermione's heart swelled at the letter. She had actually contemplated writing one to give him hell about his lack of communication when that softened her entirely. Immediately, she went to work writing him a letter and Gideon watched her with that stoic, irritated look. Magdalene pecked at his wing and he squawked at her with annoyance, but didn't push away when the smaller owl moved into him with a small chirp.

_Dear Severus,_

_I'm glad to see that you've advanced and received the job that you want._

_I just miss you, that's all. I feel as if I might be forgotten._

_Maybe you can come over to my parent's house? They want me there for dinner._

_-Hermione Granger_

She handed the letter to Gideon and the bird squawked once before carrying it away into the night. Magdalene gave a distraught chirp and looked over at Hermione before she laughed and nodded her head, giving the owl a gentle push.

"Go on then!" she said.

Magdalene took off for the night, following Gideon like a lost puppy.

While she waited for Snape's response, Hermione practiced a few spells in her kitchen; she dried her dishes and put them away before she became bored and decided on practicing some invisibility spells that she had learned. It wasn't too long when Gideon returned with a new letter. Hermione took it and didn't even notice Magdalene's absence at first. She opened the letter and her eyes roved over Snape's final message.

_Dear Hermione,_

_That would be nice to come together again._

_Please inform your father that I am in no physical condition to_

_handle another one of his brawls._

_-Yours Truly,_

_Severus Snape_

She chuckled gently and turned to Gideon, gesturing for the bird to go. When he did, she noticed Magdalene's absence. Frowning, she looked around for the sight of her owl, but noticed that she was gone. Maybe she went to hunt some mice or something. She decided to keep her window open just in case.

O

Snape seemed particularly uncomfortable at the Granger house today. Not his usual uncomfortable, but ... he seemed distracted somehow. There was a odd way he carried himself, as if he was certain that someone would jump him at any second. Or maybe it was something else. Snape was a living paradox when he could be.

"So, are you coming to apologize to my daughter for your neglect?" her father snapped.

Hermione gave him a funny look. "Daddy, I thought you promised you'd behave."

He gave her an equally funny look. "Sorry sweet heart," he told her, "Old habits die hard. Besides..." He paused and raised his brows, chewing on the apple she now noticed in his hand. "There's always a threat of relapse somewhere."

Snape sighed. "Small things amuse small minds I suppose."

Her father scowled. "That's it." He turned and walked away into the other room, calling after his wife. "HONEY! WHERE'S MY RIFLE?"

Hermione couldn't resist her laugh. She looked up at Snape and he took a deep inhale before gazing down at her. There was indeed something strange about the way he was presenting himself tonight. It concerned her because Belial's words echoed back in her head. Snape wouldn't try to betray her, would he? She didn't know what he did on the side or anything regarding his time with the Death Eaters, so what did it all mean?

"Severus?" she said.

He looked at her gently. "Yes?"

"Would you ever betray me?"

Snape looked startled by the question. "What?" He scowled. "Did Belial tell you that? Did he tell you that I might betray you?"

Hermione didn't answer. She frowned now. "You didn't answer my question."

Snape was too insulted by it to really care. "Hermione, why would you think that I would do something to you like betray you?" he demanded. "If Belial is telling you that I would betray you, you're foolish for listening!"

Hermione looked stung by his outburst. "So I'm foolish now for being concerned about the possibilities?"

"I didn't say that. Don't put words in my mouth."

"You might as well have said it..."

Snape's eyes narrowed before he relaxed and gave her a shaky sigh. "It's been difficult. I hardly hear from you anymore. How am I supposed to react?"

Hermione frowned. "I could say the same for you."

Snape looked pained by her words. Finally, a dull thump made his eyes turn toward the front door. He frowned and opened it. There was no one there, but when he stared down, his lips parted and his eyes slowly widened.

"Oh Gods..." he gasped.

Hermione looked at him as he bent down to pick something up. "What's wrong?" she asked.

He turned and cradled a mass of bloody feathers in his hands. Hermione leaned forward to get a better look and her eyes widened in horror. It was Magdalene, covered in blood. There was a note pinned to her tiny chest and Snape delicately plucked it off. Hermione took her dead owl into her hands with a small sob starting to build up in her chest. Snape studied the crude note in his hands and scowled at the message displayed.

KEEP AWAY, FILTH.

O

Snape circled the house upon the request of the Granger family in his Animagus form, scanning the entire area for signs of anyone nearby. His sense of smell was ten times more heightened in this form, so it made it easier. Unfortunately, he couldn't sense anyone nearby. They must have covered their trail somehow. But when he sniffed the path in the street, he immediately caught the smell of burning lilac and cherries and knew immediately who it was.

Bellatrix...

She knew exactly what was going on between them. Snape had made an effort to conceal his relationship with Hermione in order to protect her, but Bellatrix must have gotten wise to it, especially after he'd failed to report to the battle at the Ministry. He uttered a frustrated wolf howl and shifted back to his human form, gently knocking on the door of the Granger house. Hermione immediately answered and let him inside.

"Did you find anything?" she asked.

Snape shook his head. "They left and their trail went with it."

_"He's lying."_ Belial hissed.

Hermione's brow knotted and she gave Snape a look. "Are you sure?"

Snape nodded. "Yes."

_"He'll lie to you, Hermione,"_ Belial crooned, _"He doesn't want you to know."_

Hermione shook Belial's voice aside and stared up at Snape with worry. "You'd tell me if something was wrong, wouldn't you?"

He sighed heavily, as if he was tired of hearing this. "Yes. Now I must go."

She took his hand and for a moment, they shared a look; one was troubled and the other fearful. Instead of bidding her farewell, Snape nodded briefly before leaving the house. Hermione watched him go with pain.

_"Don't say I didn't warn you..."_

O

It was colder today.

Hermione didn't want to do much of anything after the loss of her owl. She went to work that day and even felt a change in the atmosphere. Something felt off that day that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Belial said nothing on the matter; in fact, he didn't say anything at all. Hermione was actually surprised when no one questioned the gloves that she wore on her hands at work and when a few did, she told them that she had been burned and the scars were rather unsightly. As for her eyes, she had mentioned getting contact lenses and that they had changed the color of them. The lie went by smoothly because no one questioned afterwards.

She took a bus home that night and Belial finally decided to speak with her. Fortunately, only a few people were on and sitting far from her so she could speak without having anyone think she was insane and out of her mind.

_"Hermione, do you sense the change in the air?" _he whispered.

She nodded. "Yeah. Something isn't right today."

_"I know. It's a familiar feeling. It means that someone has died today."_

Hermione was somewhat alarmed. "People die every day. Why is today so unusual?"

_"Because it's someone you know well."_

Hermione let that message sink in. She didn't want to think that it was someone close. Belial made no snide remarks on who it could be and instead, sighed heavily.

_"You will know who soon enough."_

Hermione returned home and attempted to contact her parents through a telephone. Sure enough, she was relieved to find them alive and well. She was relieved by that, but received a letter from Hedwig not long afterwards. It wasn't a letter, but a Howler. She opened it up and it hovered inches over the floor, speaking in a recorded voice of Harry's.

"HERMIONE, THINGS HAVE GONE FROM BAD TO WORSE HERE. IT'S ALL OVER. ALL OF IT IS OVER. DUMBLEDORE'S BEEN KILLED AND I COULD DO NOTHING TO STOP HIM! I FEEL OBLIGATED TO TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED BUT...WE NEED TO TALK. RIGHT AWAY. PLEASE. MEET ME AT THE BURROW."

Then, the Howler separated itself into many pieces and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Hermione stared at it for a long time before she shook her head, haunted. Instead of waiting a moment longer, she turned to the large fireplace and gathered some Floo Powder into her hands. She climbed into the fireplace and called out.

"THE BURROW!"

She tossed the powder down and disappeared in a swirl of green fire.

O

Harry and the Weasley family waited for Hermione to arrive that night. They were sitting together at the kitchen table when she stepped through the fireplace in a swirl of green flame. She frowned at all of them as they sat in sombre silence.

"Harry!" she gasped, rushing to throw her arms around the boy-including Ron who sat beside him, "Ron!"

Harry stared miserably up at her. "I wish you were there. Maybe you could have stopped him."

"Who?" Hermione asked.

Arthur interrupted and spoke up with sadness. "We tried to contact you, Hermione, but you never answered."

Hermione frowned and straightened, staring at each and every solemn face. "What do you mean?" she asked, "I've never received a single letter from anyone up until today! What happened to Dumbledore? Who killed him?"

"Let's talk about you first-" Ron began.

"No. I want to know who killed Dumbledore!"

Everyone there looked at each other reluctantly.

"It was Snape." Ron told her.

Hermione's angry expression slowly disappeared from her face. She blinked once and stared at them in horror.

"What?" she breathed, barely audible.

Harry shut his eyes. "I tried to stop him, but he overpowered me. I chased him toward Hagrid's hut, but it was over," he said, "He left with the rest of the Death Eaters." He looked up at her now with pain. "I'm so sorry, Hermione."

She shook her head rapidly. The pain in her chest grew so strong that she nearly collapsed. Instead, her features went rigid with pain and she uttered a soft moan of despair before turning and fleeing the Burrow. Harry and Ron attempted to give chase, calling for her, but she disappeared through the field of corn and vanished. In her place ran the large, fox creature, screaming horrible sounds of despair and rage to the night.

"Oh Hermione..." Harry said, softly.

O

She wasn't sure how long she had spent crying the next day. She was packing up her things in her bag with violence and groans of hatred. Belial had been right all this time. Everything that he had warned her about was true.

There was a popping sound and Hermione looked up, seeing Snape standing there in her living room. He looked pained. She stared at him for a long time, shaking before she resumed her task of packing her things.

"Hermione." Snape said; his voice came out in a soft, rigid storm, "Hermione?"

She met his gaze and spoke her words so icily, the very air around them seemed to grow cold. "You have a lot of nerve to show your face around here after what you've done."

Snape looked like a tormented child. "Will you please let me explain?" he pleaded.

She sniffled and folded her arms across her chest. "No. There's nothing to explain," she said, coldly, "You've always hurt everyone around you and this is the last time I will ever take it again."

Snape smiled sorrowfully. "I'm-sorry with all my heart. But please listen to me, Hermione," he begged, "Please. You know that there is always more to this than what you think. Things happened so fast and I had to think quick!"

Hermione turned and started to gather her clothes. "I don't want to hear it."

"Hermione, you've _got_ to hear it!"

"No!" she shouted, whirling on him, "I don't have to hear any more of your lies!"

Snape's eyes prickled with tears. "Please, just listen...I beg of you!"

"No! I'm done listening!"

Snape watched as she started to go through her clothes and pick what she could use. Her hand froze for a few seconds before she pulled something out and walked over to him, holding it out. Snape's heart sank; it was the necklace that he had given her. He gave her a pleading look.

"Hermione, don't do this..." he begged. "I gave that to you."

She tried to make herself as cold as she could without letting this hurt. "I don't want it." she snapped.

Snape reached out and took the necklace before depositing it into his robes. "Don't, Hermione," he pleaded, "What we have is the most remarkable thing you could have ever given me. If you just let me explain my actions-"

She turned briefly before laughing bitterly. "What's remarkable, Severus, is that I ever fell in love with you." she said, hard, "You broke my heart just so you can go crawling your way back to that bastard, Voldemort!"

Snape's gaze grew hard. "Hermione, it's much more than that!"

"Then tell me why you did all of this!" she shouted now, frustrated with his words, "What was I to you then? If you came just to tell me it was all for nothing, then not only do you disgrace me, you disgrace yourself!"

Snape opened his mouth to speak. "No! I've loved you! I always have and always will!"

Hermione was practically at tears now. "LOVE?" she shrieked, "YOU DON'T DESERVE TO USE THAT WORD!"

Snape saw his opening and captured her mouth with his own. She muffled a shriek and dug her solid nails into his arm, trying to push him away. She felt the squishing of his flesh being torn from her inflictions, but her body began to surrender to the kiss, even though her mind could not. He brought her close to his chest and kissed her in desperation, silently begging her to stay with him, to abandon the mission that she had planned with Harry and Ron.

She didn't care if he didn't use a contraceptive charm, she didn't care that he was crying. She didn't care that she was crying. No matter what they did that night, it would remain the same.

It was over.


	27. 27

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the part of the first chapter was borrowed from the first film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out. Keep in mind too that some lines may be used from the movie. This fic was heavily intended for that, but overall, most will be changed. I do not lay claim to them in any way.

_"The key to change... is to let go of fear."_

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Twenty-Seven**

_1997_

Snape felt numb.

As he approached the Malfoy Manner in silence, he stepped inside and joined the group of Death Eaters at the table where in the middle of conversation when Snape stepped in. Voldemort looked toward him with a smile as sharp as a razor's edge.

"Severus. I was beginning to worry that you had lost your way," he said, "Come, we've saved you a seat. You bring news I trust?"

Snape nodded with a numb look. "It will happen Saturday next, at nightfall."

Yaxley was sitting a few seats up from Snape and smirked. "I heard differently my Lord. Dawlish, the auror, has let slip that the Potter boy will not be moved until the 30th of this month, the day before he turns 17."

Snape glared at him now. "This is a false trail. The auror office no longer plays any part in the protection of Harry Potter."

Voldemort was silent for the moment before he cast his attention toward Pius sitting at the end of the table. "What say you, Pius?" he asked.

Nagini was positioned slightly below the auror. Pius watched it warily as it hissed at him in warning. He looked up at Voldemort who waited silently for his opinion. "One hears many things, my Lord. Which among them is the truth is not clear."

Voldemort smiled. "Ha! Spoken like a true politician. You will, I think, prove most useful, Pius." He looked over to Snape now. "Where will he be taken, the boy?"

"To a safe house," Snape responded, "Most likely the home of someone in the Order. I've been told he's been given every manner of protection possible." He paused and inhaled. "Once there, it will be impractical to attack him."

Bellatrix cleared her throat with a broad smile of madness. "My Lord, I'd like to volunteer for this task!" she said, "I want to kill the boy."

There was a scream that interrupted the conversation to which Voldemort scowled angrily toward Pettigrew. "Wormtail! Have I not spoken to you about keeping our guest quiet?" he snapped, venomously.

Pettigrew nodded anxiously. "Yes, my Lord, right away." He quickly scurried out of the room.

Voldemort scowled impatiently before he turned to Bellatrix. "As inspiring as I find your blood lust Bellatrix, I must be the one to kill Harry Potter."

Bellatrix shrank somewhat in sadness before she gave Snape a dirty look. "My Lord, would you like to know WHY Severus was late today?"

"Not particularly." Voldemort answered.

Snape glared murderously at Bellatrix, but remained silent.

"He was having his way with a woman," Bellatrix hissed, "A Muggle-Born witch."

The table reacted with murmurs of disgust. Snape sat there calmly and before he knew it, Voldemort spoke again, his voice rasping out of him. "This is most disquieting to hear, Severus," he said, "Does she speak the truth?"

Snape looked at him with a bored expression. "It is true, I had my way with her," he admitted, "But it was to curb simple lust and nothing more. I defiled her and ran her into the dust as where their kind belong."

Voldemort seemed impressed by this. He just smiled and chuckled. "How cruel you can be, Severus."

Snape met Bellatrix's gaze with practical murder in them. Voldemort raised his wand and just then, a shape levitated over the table. It was Charity Burbage, a teacher of Muggle Studies at Hogwarts. Her body was bent horribly backwards in a painful rictus.

"To those of you who do not know: we are joined tonight by Ms. Charity Burbage, who until recently taught at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry. Her speciality was Muggle Studies," Voldemort explained to his followers, "It is Ms. Burbage's belief that Muggles are not so different from us. She would, given her way, have us...mate with them."

Bellatrix grimaced. "Blech!"

Charity's tearful eyes searched the watchers for mercy they had no intention of giving her. Her eyes found Snape's and she begged him. "Severus, please! We were friends..." she whimpered, "Please, Severus!"

Snape stared blankly at her before closing his eyes and looking away.

Voldemort raised his wand. "_Avada Kedavra_!"

Charity's body crashed onto the table lifelessly. Voldemort caressed Nagini as she slithered across the table. "Nagini...dinner."

Snape watched with a grimace as Nagini's jaw opened wide and she closed her fangs tightly over the head of the former Muggle Studies teacher. Bellatrix laughed with glee as Nagini slowly and sickeningly devoured the teacher inch by inch at a time

Shortly after the meeting, Bellatrix was walking through the mansion and Snape stepped out in front of her. He spoke coldly and rigidly.

"You will stay away from her from now on," he ordered.

Bellatrix smirked. "Oh? So you were lying when you said it was just simple lust then?"

"I mean it," he warned, "Keep away from her."

She laughed wickedly. "I might. Or, I can see just how loud she can scream!"

She laughed again and this time, Snape moved with a furious snarl. His hand slammed down onto her throat and he pushed her against the wall. Bellatrix gave a mute cry of pain and surprise and stared up in shock at the flaring dark eyes bearing daggers down on her. Her fingers dug uselessly into his arms and she struggled to breathe through her gasping mouth.

"Now you listen to me, and you listen good!" he hissed, lowly and venomously, "If I so much as find a SCRATCH on her body from you, I will kill you. I will hunt you down like the animal you are and skin you alive! Do you think the Dark Lord will miss something like you? If I thought he didn't still need your services, I'd do him a favor right now and put an end to it!" After a moment's hesitation, he released her, stepping back with a snarl. "Stay away from Granger. Consider it your final warning."

Bellatrix watched him go, holding her throat with a furious hiss.

O

"This is never going to work!"

The Order of the Phoenix stood in the empty Dursley house with Ron, Fred, and George Weasley, along with Hermione Granger, Fleur Delacour, and Mundungus Fletcher. Harry looked dismayed by the plan that they had proposed.

"Potter, you're underage. Which means you still have the trace on you," Moody explained. "If you sneeze, the Ministry will know who wipes your nose. Point is we'll have to use those means of transport the trace can't detect. Brooms, thestrals, and the like. We'll go in pairs, that way if anyone's out there waiting for us, and I reckon there will be, they won't know which Harry Potter is the real one." He removed a vial of Polyjuice potion. "I believe you're familiar with this particular brew."

Harry grimaced. "It's not a good idea!"

Moody shook his head. "Tough," he snapped, yanking a strand of Harry's hair from his head. He looked at the rest. "Alright, everyone take a drink. Fair warning, it tastes like goblin piss."

Fred smiled at him with a smirk. "Have lots of experience with that, do you, Mad-Eye?" he teased. When Moody glared angrily at him, he shrugged calmly and took the vial. "Just trying to diffuse the tension."

Harry watched as each and every one of them took a drink from the vial. One by one, each and every person in front of him began to change into perfect representations of himself. Then, after the changes were complete, "Fred" and "George" looked at one another and smiled.

"Wow, we're identical!" they said, together.

Moody nodded his head. "Good. Now all of you change your clothes," he ordered. He glared across the room toward Mundungus and gestured with one finger. "Except you, Mundungus; I want to keep a close watch over you."

Fleur grimaced as she began to undress. "Bill, look away; I'm hideous..." she murmured.

Hermione grasped a spare pair of Harry's glasses and brought them to her eyes. She blinked. "Harry. You really do have bad eyesight." she remarked.

Moody leaned forward and studied her for a moment before cursing angrily. "Damn it!" he spat.

She frowned. "What's wrong?"

Moody grabbed a hand mirror and held it up. "See for yourself!"

Hermione peered into her reflection and gasped in shock. She had changed into a perfect representation of Harry save for her eyes still being that same unholy yellow. It also applied to her long claw-like nails and the digits of her feet. The sigil that had burned itself on her chest also remained.

"The Polyjuice Potion must not affect the demon qualities," Lupin said, uncertainly, "This isn't good. If one of them catch her, then they are sure to figure out our plan."

She smiled and shook her head. "Those idiots won't catch me."

"How the devil do you know?" Moody snapped.

"Belial's shown me a few tricks that might help," Hermione explained, "I can stay in the dark for a while."

"Are you sure?" Kingsley asked.

She nodded. "I'm sure."

Each Harry double departed from the street with a different Order member to protect them while riding on broomsticks and a few of them on Thestrals, while Harry departed with Hagrid in a side - car attached to Sirius's motorcycle. They took off to the skies while Hermione lingered, watching them disappear into the night. A smile lit her lips and she held out her hands, closing her eyes. Belial's voice whispered in her ears.

_"Let them come, Hermione," _he said, _"Let their grubby, mundane creed be their downfall!"_

She smiled and just then, an image of Severus flashed through her mind and the smile vanished. A soft sound of despair left her.

_"He hurt you, Hermione,"_ Belial crooned, _"With my power by your side, rest assured that will never happen again!"_

She nodded, though the memories choked her as she concentrated and closed her eyes. Immediately, her body was swallowed up by smoke and formed a wispy shape of a bird with flaming yellow eyes. It shrieked and disappeared into the clouds. There were flashes of light and rolls of thunder, but when Hermione passed through them, she noticed that Death Eaters and Potter duplicates alike were in the middle of a battle high above. Curses and hexes were being tossed in various directions and she swam through the clouds to avoid them.

"Harry!" Hermione called, among the noise, "Where are you?"

Then, she caught sight of a familiar black shape on a broom.

Severus...

Hermione hissed and started to go forward, but a fierce wail interrupted her. She looked back-her demon eyes peering great distances-and noticed that Harry and Hagrid were tumbling through the trees and hills. She could see the shape of Voldemort bellowing out with rage in the sky before disappearing. Shortly afterwards, the Death Eaters seemed to disappear as well. She quickly passed overhead before landing on her feet in front of the crash site.

She spotted Tonks' parents, Ted and Andromeda helping Harry stand.

"Harry!" she gasped, moving to check him for injuries, "Are you okay?"

Harry nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"We need to meet up with the others at the Burrow," Ted said, "Before they come back."

Hermione nodded her head. "Let's go."

O

The return to the Burrow had ended on a sombre note.

George had been harmed in the battle and his ear sliced open. Moody was nowhere to be seen. When Hermione inquired about the situation, Lupin regrettably informed everyone that Moody had been killed in the battle by Voldemort.

"I should never have held back..." Hermione said, softly, "I saw Snape and I hesitated. I should have attacked." She looked at George who was having his head bandaged up by Molly. "I'm sorry, George. It's my fault you were hurt."

George laughed weakly. "Don't blame yourself," he told her, "It could have happened even without you there."

Hermione frowned. "Who did it to you?" she asked, "Did you see?"

George suddenly looked away. "It was dark. I couldn't tell."

"Don't lie to me. Who did it?"

George took a deep inhale and looked at her painfully. "It was Snape."

Hermione looked stunned for a moment before she sighed sadly and looked away, nodding a few times. Her next words came out bitter and almost hurt; a combination that she tried to keep down, but everyone caught it easily. "I know..." she said, quietly, "Of course I know..."

Later that evening, Hermione decided to stay outside of the Burrow and watch out for Death Eaters in her fox form. It was a good time to spend it to think to herself. While she watched the gently rippling cornfield in front of her, Lupin walked out. It was the first time he had seen the enormous fox form, but he didn't appear to be horrified or disgusted by it. Instead, he walked up to her and she glanced down at him.

_"Professor Lupin..." _she said.

Lupin was momentarily surprised by the deep, inhuman voice, but he smiled slightly. "So you're still Hermione in there, aren't you?"

She nodded her great head and those yellow eyes closed. _"Yes."_

"You've been out here for a while, Hermione," Lupin told her, "Perhaps you should get some rest."

_"I can't..."_

"Why?"

Hermione looked down at him. _"It's hard to sleep knowing that we're being hunted."_

Lupin nodded in agreement. "Yes. I know how you feel."

Hermione was silent for a while; both teacher and fox looking up at the night sky. Finally, she looked down at him again. _"I'm torn, Professor Lupin. I don't know what to do. I've never felt so lost before in my life." _she said, her deep voice filled with pain, _"I love Severus still, despite what he's done, but I can't bear to be a part of what he's become and cast you all aside. It's wrong. I can't be a part of any of that."_

"You must choose what you feel is the right path, Hermione," Lupin told her, "I cannot make that choice for you."

Hermione made a deep, rumbling sound; it made her thick sides swell. _"Always the same answer, professor?"_

Lupin chuckled quietly. "You do what's right," he reminded her, "Severus made his choice. It was the wrong one, but one that he will have to live with in the future. Whatever you decide is of your own choice."

Hermione sighed heavily and her ears flattened against her head. If only it was so simple...

O

The following day, Harry, Hermione, and Ron were kept busy with preparations for Bill and Fleur's wedding, which Harry easily suspected was a carefully hidden attempt by Molly to stop their planning and delay their departure that morning. They started stringing up balloons around a tent placed outside of the Burrow and Hermione took a break to read the Daily Prophet. Harry and Ron caught her dark look and stopped in the middle of working.

"Hermione, what is it?" Harry asked.

They leaned over to read the article.

**SEVERUS SNAPE CONFIRMED AS HOGWARTS HEADMASTER**

_Severus Snape, long-standing Potions master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was today appointed Headmaster in the most important of several staffing changes at the ancient school. Following the resignation of the previous Muggle Studies teacher, Alecto Carrow will take over the post while her brother, Amycus Carrow fills the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts. _

Harry's eyes narrowed venomously. "He can't do that!"

Ron looked at him. "Harry..."

Harry gritted his teeth and threw his arms in the air. "The longer we wait, the stronger he gets!" he insisted, "We can sit around doing nothing while Voldemort is out there destroying everything we've ever known!"

"Today's not the day, mate. You'd only be doing him a favor." Ron said, sadly.

Hermione crumbled the paper with disgust and pain. "He just wants to dig the knife in deeper!" she spat.

The two stared at her sympathetically before Ron put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't dwell on it, alright?" Ron said, "What good's it gonna do to focus on that git when he's done nothing but betray everyone?"

Hermione nodded her head.

Later that evening, Hermione was present at the ceremony, watching a happy Fleur and Bill getting married. Just watching them gave her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach; an empy sensation that she couldn't shake away. Harry and Ron watched her from a table, sitting with Elphias Doge and Ron's great aunt Muriel. They caught her tense, weary look and shook their heads with sympathy, unable to say anything to ease her sadness.

After the ceremony, Hermione took a seat at the table, joining the four with a heavy sigh. "Harry's right; we shouldn't have wasted time with a wedding." she said, flatly.

"Hermione," Harry told her, "Listen. We have to-"

He was interrupted by the sight of a white, translucent shape appeared throughout the tent. The party goers observed the thing, stunned in silence. Hermione, Ron and Harry stood up, watching as the ball of light took the shape of a clear, bright lynx. The echoing voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt emerged, filled with defeat and warning.

_"The Ministry has fallen. The Minister of Magic is dead. They are coming."_

No sooner had the patronus arrived, it vanished; then, replacing the magical image were several black, cloudy shapes of Death Eaters.

Almost immediately, the Death Eaters arrived and began hard work at setting the tent aflame. It became chaos as spells were launched, people were screaming and fleeing and bodies were tumbling through the flames. In the confusion, Harry called madly for Ginny.

"Ginny!" he shouted, cupping his mouth, "Gi-"

Lupin suddenly appeared at his side, his face slick with sweat. He grabbed Harry and gave him a shake. "Go!" he ordered, "We'll hold them off! You have to go now!"

Harry stood there helplessly for a few moments more before he quickly rushed through the fire to seek out Ron and Hermione. She appeared through the blaze with Ron and grabbed his arm tightly in one hand. Harry looked at her desperately and she nodded her head, giving him a look that clearly told him to "hold on". Harry shut his eyes and finally, they disappeared with a loud popping sound, moments before being shot at with spells from Death Eaters.

O

The forest was mighty chilly.

Harry and Ron looked around worriedly, wondering where Hermione had taken them. "Where are we?" Harry asked.

"The Forest of Dean," Hermione explained, removing a few things from her purse, "I came camping here once, with my mother and father. It's a great forest and an excellent place to hide from those hunting us."

Ron looked at her in shock. "We have to live in a bloody forest?" he exclaimed.

Hermione sighed and gave him a dirty look, magically removing a wrapped tent from her bag. "Well, we're being hunted, Ronald," she snapped, "I don't think it would be practical to continue our lives in London or Hogwarts seeing since You-Know-Who's got control over them."

Harry looked startled now. "What?" he gasped, "How do you know that?"

"Belial told me."

Ron scoffed and threw his arms into the air. "Oh, that's wonderful," he snapped, "Advice from a demon! We should feel so much better!"

"Ron. If you have nothing particularly helpful to add to this situation, then I suggest you keep quiet," Hermione told him with a frigid stare as she began to set up the tent. "Right now, I think it's best that we set up enchantments to keep the Death Eaters from finding Harry and I'll fetch us something to eat."

Ron perked up somewhat at the concept of food. "Oh...uh..." he said, "All right then."

Later that night with the tent set up, Harry and Ron waited for Hermione to return with food. Hermione had made a tiny flame and placed it into a jar for the two of them to warm up with. It was particularly too small for their tastes.

"_Engorgio_!" Harry said. The flame in the jar suddenly grew rapidly and both boys gave frightened cries before Harry cast another spell. " _Reducio_!"

Ron laughed weakly. "Think she heard that?"

They could hear the sound of shuffling outside and came face-to-face with the massive fox creature, holding a dead moose in her teeth. She placed it onto the ground and resumed her human form. Ron and Harry laughed at the leaves and dirt covering her body.

"Very funny, you two," she snapped.

After cutting and cleaning it, the three spent the rest of the night feeding on fresh moose. Once their meal was finished, they relaxed inside the tent in their own beds. They remained silent for a while, heavily satiated from their meal.

"Do you think we're going to be fine?" Ron asked, quietly.

Hermione was laying in the makeshift cot. "We'll be okay, Ronald..." she responded, just as silently.

"So long as we stick together," Harry agreed.

Ron smiled weakly and nodded.

They remained quiet again before the sound of a belch filled the air.

"Sorry..." Hermione said, embarrassed.

Ron and Harry looked at each other. The three exchanged looks and suddenly laughed.

It felt good to do so. They expected that laughter would be scarce in the next few days to follow.


	28. 28

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the part of the first chapter was borrowed from the first film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out. Keep in mind too that some lines may be used from the movie. This fic was heavily intended for that, but overall, most will be changed. I do not lay claim to them in any way.

_"The key to change... is to let go of fear."_

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Twenty-Eight**

_1997_

Weeks had passed with nothing but surviving.

The following morning, the trio continued through the forest. They had no idea where to go, but Hermione was leading them on. It was frightfully cold as well and Hermione could see that the sky was dark; it was possibly going to snow. Harry and Ron were riding on Hermione's back as she trudged through the forest. She gave them a side glance over her thick shoulders and huffed with dismay. The gesture caused their hair to ruffle.

_"Once we cross the river, you both are walking," _she said.

Harry laughed. "Of course."

"No problem." Ron added.

Hermione stopped in front of the frigid waters and gave a long-suffering groan before moving through the waters. Gods be damned, it was completely frigid! It nearly reached Ron and Harry's feet as she moved to reach the other side.

_"Ah! That's cold!" _she cried, _"Bloody hell, that's cold!"_

Once they were finally onto dry land, Hermione shook her fur as dry as she could, nearly drenching the two boys in the process. She returned to her human form. As soon as she did, Harry and Ron burst out laughing.

Hermione was drenched from head to toe, holding herself and shaking. She gave them dirty looks. "Ha-ha, very funny," she snapped, "Now can you two clowns cast a warming charm before I lose all feeling in my digits?"

They went to work attempting to dry her with their charms before she lifted her head sharply. "Harry? Ron?"

They followed her gaze and peered into the trees. Several shapes appeared dressed in various, mismatched clothing. Some wore thick jumpers, hooded sweatshirts, jackets made of leather, fur and other heavy weather-proof materials; woolen hats and boots or other cross-country suitable footwear, and favored dark shades of black, brown, grey, blue, red and green to blend in with surrounding area itself. Each one of them wore a strip of dark red fabric tied around his or her left arm. Among them was a recognizable figure; the shape of Fenrir Greyback. He grinned cruelly, showing his nasty rows of teeth.

A man that they presumed was their leader. His eyes landed on Hermione with a smirk. "Well, well... hello there beautiful." he said. He eyed her up and down, scrutinizing her damp, shaking form. "What's this caper, love? Why are you all wet?"

Hermione gave a wary smirk. "I went swimming in the river."

The man laughed in a way that made the three feel particularly uncomfortable, knowing that something was up. Then, he gave a sarcastic smirk. "Oh where are my manners?" he sneered, "The name's Scabior. I'm sure you've heard of me, haven't you?"

The three slowly shook their heads.

"No? Not at all?"

Again, they shook their heads. Scabior scoffed and glared back at the watchers of his group. "Well? What are you waiting for?" he snapped, "Snatch 'em!"

Harry, Ron and Hermione turned and ran as the group of Snatchers took off after them. Occasionally, they would fire off spells back at them to try and impede their chase, but the Snatchers were so many in number and clearly knew the forest better than the three did; they jumped and moved through the trees like wild animals, firing their own spells as well. Suddenly, a shout of "_INCARCEROUS_" echoed and Harry was suddenly down.

Hermione skidded to a stop and whirled, just as three Snatchers moved in to grab him. She gave Harry an apologetic look before aiming her wand at him.

"I'm sorry!" she cried.

Then, she fired a spell directly at his face.

The Snatchers move to grab her and Harry. Ron was picked up a few feet away and Hermione could see that he was also wrapped up with rope. Once Fenrir tugged Harry to his feet, he grimaced with disgust. Harry's face had swollen horribly and his lips were puffy.

Scabior approached the group, sighing dramatically. "Why do they always run?" he muttered; he looked at the others and gestured to himself, "Is it me?" They didn't reply and he shrugged, puffing breath on his hand and sniffing it. He murmured thoughtfully before turning to Harry. He noticed the boy's condition and frowned now, disgusted and somewhat confused by Harry's change. "What happened to you ugly?" Harry and Fenrir Greyback turned to look at him. Scabior shook his head at Fenrir. "No, not you."

Hermione gave Harry an apologetic look before she felt the sudden urge to transform into her fox form and tear them apart. But Belial's voice whispered a warning to her.

_"No, Hermione, not yet." _he warned, _"Wait until the proper time."_

Scabior turned to the others. "Alright then, I say we take them with us to those rich snobs," he said, "Maybe we can get something big for fetching them." He gestured to Fenrir with a broad sweep of his hand. "After you."

Fenrir frowned cluelessly at him. "After I what?"

Scabior sighed impatiently and gave him a hard push. "Move!" he ordered.

O

The sight of the Malfoy Manor made Harry tense in Fenrir's grip.

Scabior had been talking the entire trip. "You know, we should demand greater funding for these trips," he said, "I lived in a small shack for three days waiting for those brats in Little Haggleton. I had more room in my mother's womb."

He tapped his foot on the gate and Bellatrix was there almost instantly. She scowled when she saw them. "What do you want?" she snapped.

Scabior gestured to the three. "Got a little gift for you." he told her. He grabbed Harry by the scruff of his jacket and pulled back his hair, revealing the lightning-bolt shaped scar.

Bellatrix smirked nastily and the gate opened. Once inside the manor, they were taken into the drawing room to have their identities confirmed. Harry caught sight of Draco and his parents standing near a dining table; Lucius looked positively haggard, as if he hadn't slept in weeks. Narcissa looked sullen and Draco appeared to have looked the same as his father.

Scabior smirked at Lucius. "I reckon we'll be getting compensated for our troubles then?" he said.

Lucius scowled, an old fire rekindled somewhat at the insulting assumption. "You dare to talk to me like that in _my_ own house?"

Bellatrix gestured to him. "Shush."

Among the din, Draco matched Harry's and frowned at his condition. He looked at Scabior for an explanation. "What's wrong with his face?" he asked.

Bellatrix seemed to now take notice to Harry's puffy face and frowned. "Yes, what_ is _wrong with his face?"

Scabior shrugged his shoulders, as if the sight held no consequence. "He came to us like that, something he picked up in the forest I reckon." he said.

Bellatrix smirked and moved up to Hermione. "Or maybe he ran into a little stinging jinx," she hissed. "Was it you deary?" When Hermione didn't answer, Bellatrix gestured to Scabior. "Give me her wand, we'll see what her last spell was." When Scabior handed Bellatrix Hermione's wand, the woman chuckled nastily and looked up at Hermione once she was certain of the spell that Hermione had used. "Ah, look at that! It was you after all." She snapped her fingers at Narcissa. "Cissy, put the boys in the cellar! I'm going to have a conversation with this one, girl to girl."

Narcissa pointed her wand at Ron and Harry, leading them out of the room without so much as a second word in. Harry and Ron looked back at Hermione with worry, fearing for the woman's life. She looked at them reassuringly as they disappeared from the room.

Bellatrix turned to Hermione, smirking with contempt.

Before Hermione knew it, Bellatrix had her pinned to the floor and had her wand pressed into her cheek. "Tell me, little girl!" Bellatrix sneered, "Why would a powerful demon choose a filthy Mud-Blood to share his power! Lord Voldemort should have that right!" Hermione said nothing but glowered off to the side. Bellatrix grabbed her by the jaw and forced her to look up into those black eyes. "I'll cut the answer out of you myself."

Hermione glared up at her. "Get off..." she hissed.

"What's that, deary?" Bellatrix sneered.

Hermione's yellow eyes flared and her teeth were longer now. "I said, GET OFF!" she shrieked.

Her body shuddered violently and Bellatrix moved quickly as Hermione disappeared and was replaced with her enormous fox form. Lucius' eyes widened and Draco staggered back in disbelief. Scabior and the Snatchers jumped back to avoid the creature's swinging tail. Bellatrix stood calmly, but with a glimmer of fear as Hermione bared her fangs at her, snarling lowly. Instead of backing down, she smirked and raised her wand.

"So, here you are at last!" she sneered, "The true face of the Mud-Blood!"

Hermione raised her haunches and let out a full-throated snarl. Just then, Harry and Ron emerged into the room. Behind them was Griphook, Ollivander and Luna. Along with Dobby. All heads turned in surprise and Ron gave a shout of "_Expelliarmus_", knocking Bellatrix's wand from her hand. Ollivander caught sight of the fox creature and his eyes widened in absolute fright.

"Merciful heavens, what is that thing?" he exclaimed.

Ron looked at him with a painful smile. "Don't worry, she's with us!"

The Snatchers moved and fired off spells at Hermione's flank. She whirled on them and gave a window-shattering roar of fury, raising a single paw and swiping them as if they were nothing. Lucius grabbed Draco's wand from the boy's hand and pointed it at her, but she snarled and turned to him.

_"Don't you dare," _she growled, in a voice of pure anger. Lucius' hand shook and the wand fell from his grip, clattering to the floor. Hermione whirled on the others. _"Get on, NOW!" _

The group rushed and grabbed fistfuls of her fur. Bellatrix moved to intervene, but Hermione swiped her aside with her tail and made a quick, desperate dash for one of the windows. Bellatrix looked up in horror.

"NO!" she shouted.

Hermione gritted her teeth. _"Hold on tight!" _she told them.

She jumped through the window, sending a shower of glass following. Once she landed hard below, Hermione sprinted through the woods with the group clinging tightly to her back. Ollivander gave a somewhat exhilarated cry, but he was still just as terrified.

"This is mental!" he exclaimed.

"The bloody world's mental!" Ron shouted at him.

Luna patted Hermione's head. "So, did you have a good holiday?"

Hermione snorted. _"I wasn't on holiday, Luna," _she told her, _"We were on the run."_

Luna smiled. "It's nice to have some time to yourself, isn't it?"

_"How did you know it was me, anyway?" _

"Baphomet told my daddy and me," Luna told her, "I imagine he must be worried."

Hermione heaved a sound that resembled a sigh. Griphook leaned forward. "If you don't mind my asking, but where the devil are we going?"

_"To Hogwarts."_

O

The castle was nothing like they had remembered.

A once happy world of colorful magic; it was now a dismal, gray camp filled with Dementors hovering through the air, keeping watch over the school. Hermione had carried the group the entire way there and shifted back to her human form. They watched the darkness of their former school with pain. Hermione however looked angry and said nothing.

"What do we do?" Ron asked.

Harry quickly removed his Invisibility Cloak and covered everyone with it. They pressed themselves down to the cold, wet grass and observed the castle. Hermione gritted her teeth with a sound of frustration; there was no way they could just walk inside. It would be heavily guarded and she couldn't risk having them hurt in a crazy act of desperation. She looked over at Harry and he met her gaze with confusion.

"What?" he asked.

"Isn't there an old passage into the castle that you had taken once before in your trip to Hogsmeade?" she questioned.

Harry smiled slightly. "Ah! The One-Eyed Witch Passage!"

Griphook snorted gruffly. "If it's all the same, I'd like to get moving now," he snapped.

They stood up and slowly made their way further down from the castle toward Hogsmeade. Griphook suddenly grunted sharply, directed at Ron. "Watch it! That was my nose!" he whispered with irritation.

"Sorry! The bloody thing's big enough!" Ron shot back in a fierce hiss.

"Be quiet you two!" Hermione snapped.

When they arrived at Hogsmeade, it was empty. Well, save for several Death Eaters roaming the alleys and streets. They patrolled silently and ominously, keeping a close watch over any suspicious movement.

"Damn, how are we going to get passed them?" Ron asked.

Hermione smiled. "I have an idea," she whispered, "I'll lead them off and you guys hurry to the castle."

Harry shook his head desperately. "Hermione, that's suicide!"

"Don't worry, they won't catch me," she said, smiling. She gestured for them to go. "Now hurry up."

While the rest of them quickly hurried away, Hermione walked into the center of the street and whistled loudly. The Death Eaters stopped and looked in her direction. Some of them laughed in disbelief while others looked surprised.

"Look at this crazy woman!" one of them sneered, "She must be eager to die."

Hermione chuckled. "Then come and get me, you stupid little roaches!" she spat.

She turned and fled through the village with a group of Death Eaters on her tail. Harry and Ron watched in mute shock as Hermione disappeared around a street corner with them not far behind. She shouted with glee.

"Come and get it!" she yelled, for the entire village to hear, "I'm a helpless little Muggle-Born who despises You-Know-Who and is plotting against him!"

Ron glanced down at Harry. "She's bloody mental."

Luna smiled. "I think she's brilliant."

Just then, two Death Eaters stepped out from a shop and spotted them.

"Damn..." Harry groaned.

O

Several hours had passed since Snape received the message. Amycus and Alecto stood at his side as he waited for the children to be gathered into the Great Hall.

"What's the plan then?" Amycus asked, glancing sidelong at him, "The Dark Lord's going to want to see this if it's true."

Snape gave him an annoyed look. "Which is precisely why we must be absolutely certain that it is Harry Potter," he told him, "After all, do you want to be under the Dark Lord's whip if we summon him and we are wrong?"

Amycus withered under his stare and snorted.

The students piled into the Great Hall with their heads hanging low. Snape surveyed them for the longest time before slipping his hands into his pockets. "Many of you are surely wondering why I have summoned you at this hour," he told them, "It's come to my attention that earlier this evening, Harry Potter was sighted in Hogsmeade. Now, should anyone, student or staff, attempt to aide Mr. Potter, they will be punished, in a manner consistent with the severity of their transgression. Furthermore, any person found to have knowledge of these events...who fails to come forward, will be treated...as...equally guilty."

No one reacted. McGonagall was standing in the corner and looked deeply pained.

Snape arched a thin brow. "If anyone here knows any knowledge of Mr. Potter's movements this evening, I invite them to step forward...now."

Suddenly, the group of students parted as a voice piped up from behind them. It was Harry, joined by many members of the Order. "It seems despite your exhaustive defensive strategies, you still have a bit of a security problem, Headmaster." he said, with contempt. Then, his anger melted into pure loathing and despair. "How dare you stand where he stood." There was a moment of silence before he continued. "Tell them how it happened that night. How you looked him in the eye, a man who trusted you, and killed him!"

The students looked at Snape and the man had no response, but just watched Harry with a dark fire blazing in his eyes.

"What about the woman who trusted you, huh?" Harry continued, "What about Hermione?" He stepped forward a few paces, keeping a cautious distance from the two Death Eaters flanking Snape. "Did you know she cried every single night while we were in hiding? Oh no, you wouldn't care at all about that, now would you? No." His voice turned absolutely frigid with fury. "You only give a damn about yourself!"

That did it.

Snape moved forward with his wand, but McGonagall stepped suddenly between Harry and the teacher. This caused the students to scatter away from the possible fight. Snape looked momentarily surprised by the move and McGonagall looked tormented by what had to be done. Just as he started to fire a spell at her, something moved from the crowd and landed between them both. It was Hermione in her fox form. She gave a loud, bellowing roar of fury at Snape. There were a collection of screams and wails of fright and the two Carrow siblings staggered back in horror.

Snape looked up at the fox creature impassively. "Hermione..." he said.

The creature glowered down at him and there was pain in her monstrous, yellow gaze. Her chests heaved in and out and her fur seemed to raise up. Her teeth showed and she leaned forward, growling furiously at him.

_"Why, Severus?" _she snarled.

Snape sighed and she could see a bare hint of struggle in his gaze before he spoke. "I made my choice, Granger," he said, flatly, "All of us will learn to appreciate it."

Hermione's eyes widened before they lowered and she let out a fierce roar that sounded like the Horntail that Harry had faced. She snapped her teeth before her eyes closed and she let out a huff of resignation. When her eyes opened again, they were brimming with tears. She turned and fled passed them, flying through the enormous glass window behind the three Death Eaters. The furious, despairing howls of the creature disappeared through the night.


	29. 29

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the part of the first chapter was borrowed from the first film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out. Keep in mind too that some lines may be used from the movie. This fic was heavily intended for that, but overall, most will be changed. I do not lay claim to them in any way. As for Voldemort's death, I LOVED the books and movies, but I always thought his death in them was kinda...dumb. LOL.

_"The key to change... is to let go of fear."_

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Twenty-Nine**

_1997_

Hermione was leaning against a tree in the Forbidden Forest, her face streaked with tears.

She had spent hours in the dark forest alone crying. The sounds of rumbling coming from the castle did nothing to sway her. She could see the flashing glow of spells as they shot through the air like fireworks.

_"Hermione, you must go!" _Belial whispered, _"Voldemort is drawing near with his forces. Your chance is here!"_

"I can't..."

Belial snorted. _"You can't? So you will simply give in and let the fool win?"_

Hermione shook her head with pain. "He already has. What difference does it make?"

_"I will not let you give up, Hermione," _Belial hissed, _"Not for a fool who dared to harm you."_

Hermione said nothing for a moment before she groaned with despair. "Why are you doing this?" she protested, "Why do you keep tormenting me? Is it not enough that I've suffered plenty because of you? Isn't it enough that Severus betrayed me?" She laughed bitterly. "Why do you keep doing this?"

Belial was quiet before responding. _"Do you not know?" _

Just then, Hermione lifted her head and made out the cries of Harry and Ron, screaming for help. She immediately bolted from where she was and made her way toward the castle. Shifting in her fox form, she plowed passed rows of Death Eaters and Acromantula attempting to swarm over her. She rushed through the castle toward the sound of her friend's cries and it led her toward the large double doors of the Room of Requirement. As soon as she entered, she encountered a towering wall of flames.

_"Harry! Ron!" _she bellowed, _"Where are you?"_

"Hermione!"

She looked up and spotted Harry and Ron clinging for dear life on a pile of furniture. Blasting through the flame, the fox creature rushed up beneath them. Ron winced and struggled to hold on for as long as he could.

"Goyle set the bloody place on fire!" he cried.

Hermione felt the flames lick her sides. _"Jump!" _she ordered.

"Are you crazy?" Ron cried, "We're not going to jump!"

_"I'll catch you, so jump now!"_

Harry and Ron nodded after a moment of hesitation and climbed down the length of furniture and dropped down onto Hermione's back. She grunted sharply and turned to go. Harry looked over his shoulders and tugged at Hermione's fur.

"Hermione, wait; Draco and Blaise are still back there!" he said.

Hermione snorted. _"What?"_

"Who cares?" Ron snapped.

"We can't let them die. You have to go back for them!" Harry insisted.

Hermione paused near the door before scowling over her shoulder. She could see the shapes of Draco and Blaise frantically climbing to the top of a pyramid of chests. They attempted to avoid being burned alive. She hesitated for a moment before hissing a snarl of frustration and turning back, rushing through the fire. She knocked over debris in her way and rushed underneath the pyramid of chests, reaching up. The two boys gave frightened cries.

_"Jump down onto my back, or die. Your choice," _Hermione told them.

Draco was the first to climb down onto her back and Blaise soon followed after hesitation. Hermione sprinted through the blaze while the fire roared behind her. It licked at her tail and paws and she winced in pain. Once she was out of the Room of Requirement, she lowered her head and kicked the doors shut with one foot. Blaise and Draco quickly climbed off of her and rushed off down the corridors, whimpering in terror.

_"We have to go and help the others!" _Hermione told Harry and Ron.

They quickly hurried down the corridors.

O

The Great Hall was in chaos as Death Eaters, monsters and everyone else attacked one another in a bloodthirsty fury. Bellatrix pursued Ginny, cackling with glee before Molly stepped between them, raising her wand at Bellatrix.

"Not my daughter, you bitch!" she spat.

Bellatrix laughed wickedly and launched a spell at Molly. She raised her wand and deflected each shot. Bellatrix backed the Weasley's up with every shot until the attack stopped. Molly and Ginny looked up beyond Bellatrix as a shadow fell over her. Bellatrix looked up and her eyes widened in horror. Hermione's great fox form towered over her and she snarled, opening her jaws and closing them around Bellatrix's body.

Molly and Ginny watched in shock and listened to Bellatrix's screams of agony. With a swift jerk of her head, Hermione flung the Death Eater woman across the hall and her body crashed into a pile of debris and she was still.

Molly looked up at Hermione. "Hermione, thank you!" she said.

Hermione gazed down at her. _"Where is Voldemort and Harry?"_

Outside in the courtyard, Harry and Voldemort were locked in battle; their spells collided, sending hot showers of magic raining down where they were joined. Voldemort's lips tightened with fury and concentration and Harry grunted sharply with equal effort. As the two combatants remained locked, a heavy mist began to lift through the air, blinding them to the world all around. Voldemort's eyes wandered momentarily, confused by the sight. Harry seemed equally confused.

Their spells broke and the two staggered back.

Suddenly, an eerie child-like laugh filled the air. It seemed to surround them through the mist.

_"Oh Thomas!" _

Voldemort looked around warily at the call of the voice, addressing him by his filthy Muggle name. He could see the shadow of what appeared to be the great fox form of Hermione, but it disappeared again and was replaced with a human shape. Voldemort leveled his wand at the shadow and sent a Killing Curse at it, but it cut through the mist and passed through nothing. Harry had never seen Voldemort this uneasy before. He stepped back when he felt something move passed him.

_"Preying on the weak... How does it feel to be preyed upon by one superior to you, Tom Riddle?"_

It was Belial's voice whispering from all around them.

"Show yourself!" Voldemort commanded.

_"Your pitiful soul is soaked by the blood of those you have slain," _Belial whispered, cruelly, _"You believe there is nothing worse than death. Oh, my foolish boy. There are so many things worse than death in this universe."_

Voldemort squinted to see through the mist and suddenly, Harry looked up and spotted several white shapes screaming toward Voldemort; Harry could see that they looked human. They grabbed him and he struggled, screaming madly beneath the mass of squirming spirits.

Harry saw the ghostly form of Igor snarling with effort, grabbing Voldemort's jaw tightly, forcing his head back. He could see Lily and James grabbing Voldemort's arms and stretching them out to the side. They looked bitter and furious just the same. Moaning Myrtle drifted up among the group, laughing maniacally. Moody was among them, chuckling nastily as he grabbed Voldemort's throat. Charity Burbage just smiled coldly, holding down Voldemort's arms as well. Much to Harry's pain, he could also see Cedric Diggory among them, bitterly smiling as he held Voldemort's legs.

All of his victims...

A shadow appeared behind Voldemort; Harry couldn't see who it was, but Belial's voice emerged from the shadow. _"Look into the eyes of those you've killed, Tom," _he crooned, _"Feel the pain of every last victim for you will be doomed to experience it for all eternity."_

Suddenly, there was a loud crunching sound and Harry watched as Voldemort's body seized and his chest erupted; a black-soaked, clawed hand was clutching a pulsing, damp object before recoiling back through. Voldemort's body shuddered and began to fall apart; his skin flaked off slowly and finally, he crumbled to the ground and all that remained were his black robes. Harry looked shocked and cast his gaze around as the mist began to dissipate.

Standing behind Voldemort's remains was Hermione. Her eyes were extremely dark and powerful; they glowed with unholy yellow. Her face also didn't look natural; it was cold and pitiless like that of Belial's face. She cradled the pulsing thing in her hand before smirking and crushing it. It fell apart in a burst of orange and crumbled into ash. Harry took a step forward and Hermione quickly looked up at him. Belial's voice emerged.

_"It is finished." _he said.

Behind Harry, several surviving members of the Order began to emerge. Hermione looked up at them with a smile and Belial's voice thundered out of her.

_"LISTEN WELL, HUMANKIND! REMEMBER THAT IT WAS I, THE DEMON LORD BELIAL WHO SILENCED VOLDEMORT THROUGH THE MUGGLE BORN WITCH, HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER!" _he bellowed, _"WRITE IT DOWN IN HISTORY! REMEMBER IT!"_

Then, Hermione gave a shuddering groan and collapsed to the ground.

O

Hermione winced and groaned, slowly opening her eyes.

She was no longer at Hogwarts.

Hermione slowly sat up and looked around; she was lying on a stone floor and surrounded by a twilight darkness; the sky itself was filled with glittering stars. She blinked in amazement and stood up. At her feet, she noticed that the floor was carved with the symbol of Belial and she appeared to be in a courtyard of some kind of a black, frightening castle. It seemed to float silently in the darkness and pools of shining violet poured down aqueducts and statues of demons.

_"Welcome, Hermione Granger," _Belial's voice whispered, _"You're here. You've done it at last. Your reward? The truth."_

Hermione turned and Belial was standing there. He looked much more healthy this time and his tunic also didn't seem to be tattered. He had large, black wings rippling with muscle and adorned with runes. He looked pleased.

"Belial?" Hermione said, surprised, "Am I dead?"

Belial smiled and shook his head. _"No. You are here. In my home. I've brought you here to help you understand the truth." _he told her, _"Follow me."_

Hermione frowned and followed the demon down the shadowy corridors until he led her to a set of double doors. They roared open and he stepped inside. She followed and her eyes widened in amazement. The room was filled with many crystals and stoned floating about. They appeared to float all the way toward the shadows of the ceiling. There was a flaming pit in the center that seemed to glow with a mixture of red and violet.

"What is this place?" Hermione asked.

_"This place is my window to the universe," _Belial explained, _"Each crystal, each window is open for me to observe you mortals." _Hermione nodded, watching as Belial raised his hand. At his silent command, a crystal drifted from the mass and landed in his hand. _"I have spend so long searching for the innocent to share my wisdom with." _He chuckled coldly. _"They have made demons out to be monsters, but to mock their makers, their guardians? Humanity has always found ways to failed me." _

He offered the crystal to her and she took it. She looked down into it and could see a shadowy, reflective image of Belial sitting before the crystals with his eyes closed. He appeared to be in deep focus and was listening to many voices of the human world. He appeared to be deeply frustrated until a soft laugh made his eyes open. He frowned and looked up, gesturing to a crystal. It landed in his hands and he furrowed his brow thoughtfully.

_"Until I saw you," _he said, _"Truly an innocent with a fiery spark to become more. To prove to the filth and lowest of the human race that she was special. Powerful. So I set forth my plan of action to make it so."_

In the crystal, Hermione watched as the image changed and was now showing Naberius kneeling before a man in a suit. She couldn't see the man's face, but she had to take a guess that it was Belial in human form.

_"I informed Naberius, one of my most loyal followers to make certain that you were to have the stone no matter what," _Belial continued; he was pacing around the room now, narrating the images that Hermione was seeing inside the crystal, _"I foresaw the events that would take place; you would make the wish."_

Hermione looked up sharply. "You knew I'd make that wish?"

_"Yes..."_

The images changed and Hermione was seen crying bitterly. Then, it changed and showed Belial making his first appearance to Snape and Hermione in the street. Hermione watched the scene play out with no sound, amazed.

_"You must understand, I had to appear as the enemy, to distract you from my true goals," _Belial told her, gently, _"I had to test you, to push you to your limits."_

The images in the crystal revealed Belial appearing at the edge of the Forbidden Forest where Hermione had informed him of the deal she would not make to take a life. She watched as a furious Belial vanished, sending the group flying back unconscious.

_"When you refused to take a life to save yourself, I knew then that I had found the true innocent to pass my gift to," _Belial continued, _"I disappeared for a short time; I had to watch you, to see how you would become after that incident. That day that I took control over your body, I became desperate. I saw that you were falling for Severus Snape. I couldn't allow for that to interfere. I admittedly did not enjoy the concept of you and the Death Eater double agent together. I felt that he could corrupt you."_

Hermione looked stunned. "Wait, double agent?"

_"Yes. Severus Snape was not the enemy that you thought he was; he was playing a dangerous game acting as a double agent. But in truth, he was with you all along," _Belial told her with a sad smile, _"I'll admit, I had hoped you would never find out."_

Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I don't believe this..." she gasped, "He was never a traitor."

_"No. He had taken Dumbledore's life at Dumbledore's request. Dumbledore convinced Snape to help him protect Harry should that wretched fool Riddle ever make his return so that Lily Potter would not have given her life in vain. Over the years, Severus remained at Hogwarts and used his magical skills in Occlumency to hide his loyalty to Dumbledore from Voldemort and everyone else. You see, Dumbledore was dying from a curse in Marvolo Gaunt's Ring."_

Hermione watched the crystal's images as Snape and Dumbledore sat at a desk. Snape appeared to be talking to him and looked greatly troubled.

_"Severus tried to contain the curse in his hand, but his efforts would be for nothing as Dumbledore had but a year to live. Dumbledore was aware of Draco's orders to kill him, so he wanted Severus to do it, knowing that it would gain Riddle's trust completely."_

Hermione moaned with pain. "And those things I said to him..."

Belial sighed heavily. _"Yes. You were suffering so much for his believed betrayal," _he continued, _"Every day, I wanted to end it. Every day I wanted to stop your suffering, but when you refused to give in, to submit, I knew that I couldn't." _He turned and faced her completely and his features looked tormented now. It was such a strange look for him. _"It hurt me every waking hour to see you in pain, Hermione. I wanted to do nothing but end it there and then." _He paused once. _"You had asked me in the forest why I continued to stay. Why I gave you what I gave you. Why I did what I did to make you stronger. Do you know?"_

She shook her head, feeling oddly strange now.

_"I continued to stay because I grew to love you, Hermione," _he said, quietly. He ignored the stunned look on her face and turned with a heavy sigh. _"But I could never give you what he could, the love and the warmth that a human needs. I just desire your happiness, Hermione."_

She looked somewhat surprised and touched by his confession. "Belial..."

He turned to face her again and raised a finger to her forehead. _"Severus is waiting for you. Go now. Be at peace. There will me more to come later. I promise it will be difficult, but the end result will be sweeter." _he said, with a sad smile.

Suddenly, before Hermione knew it, she was gone.

O

Hermione awoke once again and was now in the Hogwart's courtyard. She struggled to her feet and watched as people began appearing from the smoke and rubble. Harry and Ron walked up to her and placed their arms around her.

"Hermione, you're alive!" Harry gasped.

She laughed softly. "Yeah, it's done... It's finally over."

She looked up at the sight of Snape appearing from the crowd. He was limping somewhat and smiled sorrowfully when he spotted Hermione. She parted from the two boys and slowly walked up to him. For the moment, neither one of them said anything. Finally, Snape lowered his head, his voice trembling with pain and sorrow.

"Forgive me..." he whispered.

Hermione reached beneath his chin and made him lift his head to look into her eyes. She looked equally pained. "There's nothing to forgive Severus," she said, gently, "Belial showed me everything." She laughed weakly, "You're the bravest, craziest man I've ever known in my life. And I think I should be the one who's sorry. You've risked everything for us and this school." She leaned forward and cupped his cheeks, placing a kiss against his lips.

Snape made a soft sound and slipped his hands around her waist, pulling her to him.

"They won't listen..." he said, against her lips, "They won't understand."

"Don't talk about it," Hermione begged, holding him close, "Please, just don't talk about it right now."

They held each other for the longest time, kissing and nuzzling each others faces. Wanting to cherish what they had for as long as they could.

Belial told her the truth. He showed her Snape's true actions.

But that didn't mean the world would agree...


	30. 30

**A Path Less Taken**

**Disclaimer: **A story repost since I had difficulties with the last time that I'd posted it. So... Here you go. A SeverusXHermione AU pairing ftw. It'll be different from my last time that I had posted, I can assure you of that. Note that the part of the first chapter was borrowed from the first film because it was the only way to get Hermione's desire to make her seemingly foolish wish to work. Otherwise, it'll be an AU from here on out. Keep in mind too that some lines may be used from the movie. This fic was heavily intended for that, but overall, most will be changed. I do not lay claim to them in any way. As for Voldemort's death, I LOVED the books and movies, but I always thought his death in them was kinda...dumb. LOL.

_"The key to change... is to let go of fear."_

- Rosanne Cash

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."_

- Keri Russell

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

_"But me - I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d' you know what I mean?"_

- 'Mad Eye' Moody.

**Part Thirty**

_Seven Years Later_

Azkaban was as it always had been.

Snape was resting in one of the cells, his hand writing on a scroll. His eyes were sunken and sad and he had been starting to grow a beard. He had been in Azkaban for a long time after the end of the Second Wizarding War, despite Hermione's efforts. Harry Potter had even attempted to persuade the world of Snape's innocence, but until they came to a verdict, he was left to rot in the cell for a long time. Though they did allow him to write to Hermione.

_Dearest Hermione, _

_I think of you always. Your smile, your laughter brings me the utmost joy as _

_I rot away here in this horrible place._

_I'm not angry about anything. The blame has to fall on me for what I've done, _

_despite my intentions. Though I feel a sense of despair when I think that I was _

_not there to see our child come into the world cradled in your arms, and her first smile..._

Snape rubbed his chin thoughtfully before he continued.

_I spoke with another Death Eater today. He accepts his faults and seeks to be rehabilitated._

_It's quite refreshing to see someone in a similar state of affairs. More or less, anyway.  
><em>

_Those packages you had to sneak in here has made me quite popular with him; the chocolate _

_fudge brightens my day every little bit and does his. And now, that picture you've sent of our _

_daughter, beautiful little Eileen. I am thankful that I have the chance to watch her grow in _

_these pictures at least. It is a little blessing, but one that I am grateful for regardless. _

_I showed them to my friend and he remarked that it was a miracle of the Gods that she  
><em>

_look more like you than myself. I would agree, I suppose.  
><em>

_Despite everything, I still consider myself ever so lucky to have brought a child into being.  
><em>

_It was one of my dearest dreams.  
><em>

He rolled up the scroll and passed it to an Auror guard by his cell who had been waiting. The man gruffly took the letter and attached it to the leg of a large, fat white owl before it fled through a hatch in the ceiling. Snape watched it go with a sad chuckle before leaning against the wall of his cell to sleep.

O

"Hey! Snape!"

Snape woke up to the sound of the Auror. The man snorted and turned. "You have a visitor."

Snape frowned and straightened when Harry Potter appeared at the door of his cell; the man looked still the same as he had as a child and yet, he was dressed in very formal clothing; a suit and tie as well as a cloak over his shoulders.

"Harry Potter..." Snape said, smirking rather nastily. "The great Harry Potter comes to visit me in my lowly prison cell."

Harry smiled somewhat. "Still the same as I remember you, Professor Snape," he remarked. Then, he looked serious now. "I've fought tooth and nail and managed to get you a court date in two weeks. They will discuss whether or not you deserve to be freed. You'll be able to see your family, Snape."

Snape looked momentarily surprised before his eyes filled. "How is she?"

Harry's smile disappeared and he sighed. Snape could see that he looked like a man who had seen a great enduring of his love. "Surviving. Eileen's birthday is coming up in those two weeks and she's going to celebrate it at the Burrow. I thought it would be a good birthday gift for her to see her father."

Snape nodded his head and he smiled with despair and wanting. "I'd do anything to see my child..."

"Then follow my lead in two weeks and you will."

Snape curled his nose. "When did you become a lawyer, Potter?"

"I'm an Auror now, so I think that's almost the same."

Snape snorted with contempt.

Harry turned to go. "I'll see you then, professor..."

And he was gone.

In those days that passed, Snape received many letters from Eileen and Hermione. He was especially delighted to read about Eileen's time at school; he had always wanted to learn as much as he could about his child. He occasionally laughed quietly at Eileen's letter.

_Dear Dad, _

_I started today at elementary school. Mom was very paranoid. _

_My new teacher is Miss. Smith. She's very nice and lets me have _

_extra portions of snacks at lunch. Of course, I can't tell anyone.  
><em>

_Mom says I'm going to go to Hogwarts soon. I can't wait!_

Snape went straight to work to find some paper to return the letter. When he couldn't, he angrily yelled at the Auror at his cell. "Paper, paper," he snapped, shaking his hand through the cell, "Give me something to write on, dammit!"

The Auror scoffed with irritation and walked to a table, scooping some paper up in his arms before tossing them at Snape. "There, now be quiet."

Snape glared at him and began to write.

_Dear Eileen, _

_I was very happy to read your letter. It brought my heart endless joy.  
><em>

_I'm glad that you like your teacher and hope school is going well for you._

_I hope things are going well with your mother as well. I truly miss you._

Once he had sent out the letter, he received another letter in return shortly afterwards from his family. This one didn't seem as happy as the last one. When Snape read it, he winced with pain at the words.

_Dear Father, _

_Today wasn't as fun as before. I don't like my school anymore. I don't _

_want to go back tomorrow._

_This boy, Jordan MacGregor, has horrible teeth and calls me "grease top". _

_He makes fun of my nose too and says it's too big. I don't like him at all._

_Mother says I have to go back no matter what. Tell her not to make me._

_Dad. Are you ever coming home?_

Snape laughed softly and worked on another letter.

_Dear Eileen,_

_Hopefully this will find you still in school. School is very important for _

_your future. I'm afraid to say that your mother is right._

_Now, don't you worry about that little brat Jordan MacGregor. Sometimes _

_in school, you will meet people like that, but don't let them get you down. _

_It took a lot for me, so I know what you are going through. Best of luck. _

_One day, you will prove them that you are special._

_And of course I'm coming home. In just a little while longer, and all the _

_things that we missed doing together we will do as a family. Everything _

_that you missed, I promise I will make up for it. No matter what. _

The two weeks went by slower than Snape had expected. He was removed from his cell and sent to be cleaned up. They shaved and trimmed his hair and placed him an old, but clean suit to prepare to be sent to the Wizengamot. As he walked down the corridors of cells, listening to the horrible sounds of prisoners around him, he had a final letter clutched in his hands that he was to send out to Hermione. Hopefully, it would be the last.

_Dearest Hermione,_

_I'm coming home to my family. Harry Potter will ensure that, I hope. _

_I only hope that I'm not a disappointment to Eileen or to you._

_With Love,_

_Severus_

O

Snape stood before the Wizengamot. Harry was beside him.

"Severus Snape, the council is deeply troubled by your history of violence, despite Harry Potter's evidence otherwise" Kingsley Shacklebolt was positioned as Minister for Magic and regarded Snape with hesitant eyes, "I know of Miss Granger's situation, but you have to prove to me otherwise that you are truly innocent."

Harry frowned in frustration. "Minister, Severus Snape's memories were shown to the council. What proof do you need?"

Kingsley nodded his head. "Memories can be tampered with, Harry."

"If Snape had done nothing before, Draco would have been killed," Harry told him, "And had he not put himself in danger the way he had, none of us would be here today! None of us would have ever known anything about the Dark Lord's plans! Snape left clues and intentionally put himself on the slab for us."

Kingsley sighed and looked at the rest of the Wizengamot. "By a show of vote, I want to know; which of you believes that Snape should be freed and released of all charges?" he asked, "Has he truly suffered enough for his crimes?"

All around the room, hands slowly went up. A good number of individuals appeared to be for Snape's release. Kingsley looked impressed.

"Very well, Severus Snape is hereby released," he said.

Snape smiled with relief. "Thank the Gods..."

Harry put his hand on Snape's shoulder. "Come on, Professor. Hermione's waiting."

O

The Burrow was definitely made for the party.

Balloons animals had been animated and were floating about in the air, making animal noises. A bubbling fountain was blowing bubbles made from candy. Snape had to take a guess since several children were attempting to eat them.

"The Burrow is quite festive," he remarked, once the car pulled up.

Harry chuckled and stepped out. Snape slowly joined him after much hesitation.

"Professor, it's going to be okay," he assured him.

Snape looked at him weakly. He was clutching a book tightly in his hands. "One can hope, Potter."

"I'll get Hermione and Eileen to come out here," Harry told him, "If you really don't feel comfortable, you can wait by the car."

Snape nodded his head slightly and watched as Harry walked toward the Burrow; it would definitely be more comfortable for him if the others did not see him and crowd him with questions yet. He was met by Ginny Weasley and Snape was surprised to see the pair exchange a kiss. After a while, three little happy children immediately met him. Snape guessed that Ginny and Harry had married and the children were in fact his. It had certainly been a long time since he had seen the outside world. A lot had certainly changed in that time.

Just then, he looked up as Harry stepped out of the Burrow, flanked by Hermione and Eileen.

Snape's eyes misted. Hermione had changed since Belial had left her; she still had the faint glow of yellow in her eyes, but her hands no longer had those long, sharp nails and the scar on her chest appeared to have faded. She was wearing a summer jacket and pants and looked to be smiling. Harry must not have mentioned anything about his release yet. Eileen was following Hermione and appeared to be talking as well; she was wearing a black vest over a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Her long, black hair was shining and she looked happy as well. Gods, she looked like Hermione, but had that little scowl that Snape was famous for when she looked over at Ron and grimaced at his consuming of sweets. And her nose was distinctly longer than Hermione's.

Then, Harry gestured toward Snape and Hermione looked up.

Snape tensed when her eyes grew wide and she rushed up to him. She immediately threw her arms into him and the force of her connecting knocked Snape off of his feet with a grunt and flat on his ass. Harry and Eileen watched the scene; Eileen looked shocked.

"Severus!" she cried, "Oh God, you're here..."

He smiled tearfully and kissed her as many times as he wanted. "Yes, love, I'm here. I'm here."

Hermione parted and helped him sit up. She looked back at Eileen and gestured for her to come forward. Eileen reluctantly stepped forward and Snape quickly offered the book to the child.

"I brought something for you, Eileen." he said.

Eileen shyly hid behind her mother. Snape looked a little surprised and glanced up at Harry before he chuckled weakly and attempted to dust the book off of dust with his sleeve.

"Ah yes, the book is a bit dusty," he murmured, somewhat embarrassed, "That book store owner wouldn't know a clean book if it..."

Hermione gave Eileen's head a gentle pet. "Eileen, sweetie, you take your daddy's present now." she told her.

Snape shook his head. "No, no, no, Hermione. It's okay," he assured her.

Eileen took a few cautious steps forward and took the book in her arms. She smiled cautiously up at Snape. "You're really my daddy?"

Snape smiled, his jaw set to prevent himself from crying. "Yes. I am."

Eileen slowly walked up and put her arms around him. Hermione followed suit and the family just held each other for a long time. Harry watched the scene with a smile on his face, pleased to see them united.

Hermione looked beyond Snape and spotted a shadowy form watching the scene from the cornfield.

It was Belial.

He just smiled at her and gave her a wave.

_"Farewell, Hermione. Live a long life in the happiness that you deserve..."_

And then, he turned and disappeared.

Hermione parted from Snape and smiled at him. "We have so much to tell you."

Snape smiled broadly and gave Eileen's head a gentle pat. "And I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life listening."

Finally, the family stood up and walked to the Burrow as Hermione started to tell Snape everything that he had missed.

And he listened.

Only this time, he was happy not to be behind bars and in the loving embrace of his family.

A family he never believed that he would have.

THE END


End file.
